Forest Ecosystems最新文献

{"title":"Assessing the combined effects of forest management and climate change on carbon and water fluxes in European beech forests","authors":"Vincenzo Saponaro ,&nbsp;Miquel De Cáceres ,&nbsp;Daniela Dalmonech ,&nbsp;Ettore D'Andrea ,&nbsp;Elia Vangi ,&nbsp;Alessio Collalti","doi":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100290","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100290","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The consequences of climate change continue to threaten European forests, particularly for species located at the edges of their latitudinal and altitudinal ranges. While extensively studied in Central Europe, European beech forests require further investigation to understand how climate change will affect these ecosystems in Mediterranean areas. Proposed silvicultural options increasingly aim at sustainable management to reduce biotic and abiotic stresses and enhance these forest ecosystems' resistance and resilience mechanisms. Process-based models (PBMs) can help us to simulate such phenomena and capture early stress signals while considering the effect of different management approaches. In this study, we focus on estimating sensitivity of two state-of-the-art PBMs forest models by simulating carbon and water fluxes at the stand level to assess productivity changes and feedback resulting from different climatic forcings as well as different management regimes. We applied the 3D-CMCC-FEM and MEDFATE forest models for carbon (C) and water (H₂O) fluxes in two sites of the Italian peninsula, Cansiglio in the north and Mongiana in the south, under managed vs. unmanaged scenarios and under current climate and different climatic scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). To ensure confidence in the models’ results, we preliminary evaluated their performance in simulating C and H₂O flux in three additional beech forests of the FLUXNET network along a latitudinal gradient spanning from Denmark to central Italy. The 3D-CMCC-FEM model achieved <em>R</em>² values of 0.83 and 0.86 with RMSEs of 2.53 and 2.05 for C and H₂O fluxes, respectively. MEDFATE showed <em>R</em>² values of 0.76 and 0.69 with RMSEs of 2.54 and 3.01. At the Cansiglio site in northern Italy, both models simulated a general increase in C and H₂O fluxes under the RCP8.5 climate scenario compared to the current climate. Still, no benefit in managed plots compared to unmanaged ones, as the site does not have water availability limitations, and thus, competition for water is low. At the Mongiana site in southern Italy, both models predict a decrease in C and H₂O fluxes and sensitivity to the different climatic forcing compared to the current climate; and an increase in C and H₂O fluxes when considering specific management regimes compared to unmanaged scenarios. Conversely, under unmanaged scenarios plots are simulated to experience first signals of mortality prematurely due to water stress (MEDFATE) and carbon starvation (3D-CMCC-FEM) scenarios. In conclusion, while management interventions may be considered a viable solution for the conservation of beech forests under future climate conditions at moister sites like Cansiglio, in drier sites like Mongiana conservation may not lie in management interventions alone.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54270,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecosystems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100290"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143172608","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tree mycorrhizal strategies regulate diversity–productivity relationships across forest strata along soil fertility","authors":"Ying Che ,&nbsp;Guangze Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100289","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100289","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The symbiotic relationships between trees and different mycorrhizal fungi affect the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships within forest communities, particularly across different strata from the understorey to the overstorey. However, current research on this relationship has not yet reached a definitive conclusion. In this study, we used regression analyses and structural equation modelling based on a 9-ha mixed broadleaved-Korean pine (<em>Pinus koraiensis</em>) forest plot to explore the effects of different types of mycorrhizal fungi (arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi) on the relationship between tree species diversity and productivity. The study found that the dominance and productivity of AM species increased in the understorey with increasing soil nutrients, whereas the productivity of EM species declined despite increasing diversity. In the overstorey, the productivity of AM species continued to increase with increasing soil nutrients, while that of EM species decreased due to increased competition. As for diversity-productivity relationships (DPRs), in the understorey, both AM and EM tree species demonstrated a positive DPR, suggesting the presence of the niche complementarity effect. In the overstorey, AM species continue to exhibit positive DPR due to their competitive advantage in nutrient-rich environments. In contrast, EM species exhibit negative DPR due to increased competition or less efficient resource use. Additionally, slope influenced forest productivity indirectly by altering the accumulation and distribution of soil nutrients, thereby affecting species distribution and growth conditions. This indirect effect highlights the potential negative impact of slope on soil nutrients within forest ecosystems, as well as its influence on the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functions. The study reveals how AM and EM trees influence forest productivity through distinct adaptability and competitive strategies across different forest strata, with a particular emphasis on the strata-dependent effects of mycorrhizal association on DPRs. This finding offers a new perspective on how mycorrhizal types modulate the complex relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functions across various strata in temperate forests.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54270,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecosystems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100289"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143172607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ungulate browsing patterns and forage abundance determine the regeneration of palatable tree species: Using new perspectives in assessing ungulate browsing pressure in temperate forests","authors":"Aklilu Bajigo Madalcho ,&nbsp;Anna Gazda ,&nbsp;Jerzy Szwagrzyk","doi":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100288","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100288","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Herbivorous ungulates are vital elements of forest ecosystems, yet their impact on tree regeneration and forest dynamics is challenging to assess. Despite their significant influence, few studies measure browsing pressure independently of precise ungulate population data. This study aimed to determine the regeneration mechanisms of palatable tree species in natural forest ecosystems by measuring the forage abundance from young trees of focal species and estimating the browsing pressure exerted by ungulates. We analyzed an extensive dataset of 2,838 tree saplings in two national parks in Poland to examine relationships between variables using a zero-intercept linear regression, and multiple linear regression models, and performed parametric and nonparametric tests. We found that the browsing intensity index (BI) is a good predictor of browsing pressure. Both total abundance and twig dry mass loss due to ungulate browsing were more pronounced in shorter saplings, with these effects decreasing as sapling height increased. <em>Picea abies</em> was the most abundant browse source in the Tatra National Park (TNP), whereas <em>Fagus sylvatica</em> dominated in the Roztocze National Park (RNP). <em>Acer pseudoplatanus</em> and <em>Sorbus aucuparia</em> experienced significantly higher browsing pressure in the TNP, whereas <em>Carpinus betulus</em> was more heavily browsed than other species in the RNP. The increase in browse abundance rapidly reduced ungulate browsing pressure on highly palatable tree species. We conclude that despite the high browsing pressure on the palatable species, the contribution of browse from focal species helps to mitigate this pressure and supports their regeneration in the forest canopy. Therefore, this finding provides valuable insights for managing and conserving tree species vulnerable to ungulate browsing in natural forest ecosystems. In addition, the method we used in this study is novel to estimate browsing pressure and assess the recruitment potential of vulnerable tree species; hence, it can be applied in large-scale studies with similar scenarios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54270,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecosystems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100288"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142874198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Potential effects of climate change on growth and the implications for conservation of the endangered Serbian spruce (Picea omorika (Pančić) Purk.)","authors":"Marko Kazimirović,&nbsp;Branko Stajić","doi":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100287","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100287","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the impacts of climate change on the future growth of tree species is particularly important for conserving endemic species with limited geographic distributions, such as Serbian spruce (<em>Picea omorika</em> (Pančić) Purk.). This study describes an approach to assessing the effects of future climate conditions on the growth and the implications for future management to conserve this endangered species on the IUCN Red List. To investigate the climate-growth relationship, age structure and diameter growth trends, we have sampled 231 trees across 11 locations at National Park \"Tara\" in western Serbia. The existence of heterogeneous age structures suggests that Serbian spruce poses considerable potential for continual regeneration in stands with open canopy. Conducted dendroclimatological analysis exhibits exceptional coherence in growth patterns within populations (Rxy 0.67–0.78), allowing the established climate-sensitive mixed-effect model to achieve conditional <em>R</em>_c² ​= ​0.683. It is revealed that the radial increment of Serbian spruce is dominantly regulated by water deficit in the summer season. The rainfall amount during the spring is another meaningful climatic factor for growth trends, while minimal winter temperatures and previous autumn water balance show varying influences. Finally, the growth projections under climate change scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 foreseen reductions of up to one-third and almost half from the historical mean growth rate. The given estimations should be seen as a critical warning signal calling for immediate conversion from passive to active protection to preserve this unique species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54270,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecosystems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100287"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143104280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A compartmentation approach to deconstruct ecosystem carbon fluxes of a Moso bamboo forest in subtropical China","authors":"Jianhua Lv ,&nbsp;Quan Li ,&nbsp;Tingting Cao ,&nbsp;Man Shi ,&nbsp;Changhui Peng ,&nbsp;Lei Deng ,&nbsp;Xinzhang Song","doi":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100286","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100286","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Moso bamboo (<em>Phyllostachys edulis</em>) forests are a vital resource in subtropical China, known for their high carbon (C) sequestration capacity. However, the dynamic processes of C fluxes within each component (canopy, culm, and soil) and their individual contributions, particularly during on- and off-years, remain unclear. A 2-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the dynamics of C fluxes from the canopy, culm, and soil (partitioned into heterotrophic, rhizome, and stump respiration) and their contributions to net ecosystem productivity (NEP) in a representative Moso bamboo forest in the subtropical region of China. The average annual NEP of the Moso bamboo forest was 7.31 ​± ​2.76 ​t ​C·ha⁻¹. Specifically, the canopy's annual net C uptake was 17.30 ​± ​3.23 t C·ha⁻¹, accounting for 237% of NEP. In contrast, C emissions from heterotrophs, culms, rhizomes, and stumps were 5.37 ​± ​1.20, 2.18 ​± ​1.05, 1.29 ​± ​0.04, and 1.15 ​± ​0.33 ​t ​C·ha⁻¹, accounting for −73%, −30%, −18%, and −16% of NEP, respectively. The NEP, net cumulative C uptake in the canopy, and C emissions from the respiration of heterotrophs and stumps were all significantly higher during on-years when compared to off-years, whereas C emissions from bamboo culms displayed opposite trends. These findings offer a new approach for quantifying the C budgets of Moso bamboo forests and provide valuable insights into the C cycling processes in forest ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54270,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecosystems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100286"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143104352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Classification and clustering analysis of standing dead trees and associated park asset wildfire vulnerability in Yellowstone National Park","authors":"Carolyn Prescott ,&nbsp;Mehmet Ozdes ,&nbsp;Di Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100284","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100284","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States, forests include extensive portions of standing dead trees. These regions showcase an intriguing phenomenon where the combined biomass of standing dead trees surpasses that of fallen and decomposing woody debris. This stems from a suite of factors including pest disturbances, management decisions, and a changing climate. With increasingly dry and hot conditions, dead timber on a landscape increases the probability that a fire will occur. Identifying and characterizing the presence of standing dead trees on a landscape helps with forest management efforts including reductions in the wildfire hazard presented by the trees, and vulnerability of nearby park assets should the trees burn. Using forest-based classification, exploratory data analysis, and cluster vulnerability analysis, this study characterized the occurrence and implications of standing dead trees within Yellowstone National Park. The findings show standing dead trees across the entire study area with varying densities. These clusters were cross-referenced with vulnerability parameters of distance to roads, distance to trails, distance to water, distance to buildings, and slope. These parameters inform fire ignition, propagation, and impact. The weighted sum of these parameters was used to determine the vulnerability incurred on the park assets by the clusters and showed the highest values nearest to park entrances and points of interest. High vulnerability clusters warrant priority management to reduce wildfire impact. The framework of this study can be applied to other sites and incorporate additional vulnerability variables to assess forest fuel and impact. This can provide a reference for management to prioritize areas for resource conservation and improve fire prevention and suppression efficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54270,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecosystems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100284"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143104293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Restoration of natural herbaceous vegetation and spatial variability of forest structure by gradual removal of Scots pine from former plantations","authors":"Remigiusz Pielech ,&nbsp;Adrian Wysocki ,&nbsp;Kacper Foremnik ,&nbsp;Marek Malicki ,&nbsp;Bartłomiej Surmacz ,&nbsp;Jerzy Szwagrzyk ,&nbsp;Zbigniew Maciejewski","doi":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100285","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100285","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We tested the effectiveness of the gradual removal of Scots pine (<em>Pinus sylvestris</em> L.) in former plantations of this species in Roztocze National Park (SE Poland) to support the restoration of natural herbaceous flora and forest structure. We compared 0.5-ha study plots subjected to selective removal of pine trees with control plots excluded from any kind of human intervention for half a century. The observed changes in forest floor vegetation in the converted plots showed naturalization towards habitat-specific species. However, differences in the spatial distribution of trees between the treatment and control plots showed no universal pattern and revealed subtle but positive shifts from regular to random or clustered patterns. The mean tree diameters were higher in plots subjected to Scots pine removal, which resulted from the vigorous growth of tree species, consistent with habitat types. We conclude that forest restoration through the removal of planted trees can support the naturalization of former Scots pine plantations in protected areas. However, the selection of an appropriate method and its intensity are of vital importance. Methods that resemble typical management practices, such as selection thinning, are not always the best approach, as they may preserve or even increase the regular distribution of trees. Therefore, for restoration purposes, we recommend testing other methods that increase spatial heterogeneity, including systematic cutting or emulating natural disturbances. In addition, low-intensity thinning may not be sufficient to support the restoration of natural forest floor vegetation and the variability in forest stand structure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54270,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecosystems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100285"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143171738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Determination of forest communities on the basis of small plots (microplots) within the geomorphologically diverse landscape of the Kras plateau (Italy, Slovenia)","authors":"Aljaž Jakob ,&nbsp;Mateja Breg Valjavec ,&nbsp;Andraž Čarni","doi":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100283","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100283","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The article deals with forest communities that develop on small surfaces on steep gradients of the geomorphologically diverse landscape of the Kras plateau. They appear in small depressions called dolines, where a steep gradient of ecological conditions appears over a small spatial scale. We tried to detect the turnover of forest communities on this small scale and steep gradient with small plots (microplots) of 4 ​m² arranged in a continuous transect. We sampled only the ground layer and estimated the cover of each vascular plant species. The main problem was that we could not sample vegetation plots in standard sizes, which would allow a standard classification procedure. We built an expert system based on all of the relevant standard vegetation plots from the region and applied this system on a microplot matrix. We classified one third of microplots in this way, but the remainder were classified by semi-supervised <em>k</em>-means clustering. We thus established 8 communities that appear in dolines and compared their characteristics and ecological conditions by Ellenberg indicator values. Our results show that oak-hornbeam forests can be found in the bottom of dolines. Towards the bottom of deeper dolines, mesophilous ravine forests dominated by sycamore on rocky places, and sessile oak forests on deeper soils appear. On lower slopes, thermophilous ravine forests dominated by limes appear on rocky places. Upper slopes are dominated by Turkey oak, hophornbeam-pubescent oak forests and shrub formations. Turkey oak forests can be found on rather deeper soils than hophornbeam-pubescent oak forests. At the top, hophornbeam-pubescent oak forests can be found that build the zonal vegetation of the region. On rock walls vegetation of rock crevices can be found. The high biodiversity of the region supports the idea that diverse karstic features might have the potential for formation of refugia in future foreseen climate change, related to the potential of karstic relief to create diverse climatic conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54270,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecosystems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100283"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143171737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Factors shaping the distribution of old-growthness attributes in the forests of Spain","authors":"Adrià Cos ,&nbsp;Javier Retana ,&nbsp;Jordi Vayreda","doi":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100281","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100281","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conservation and enhancement of old-growth forests are key in forest planning and policies. In order to do so, more knowledge is needed on how the attributes traditionally associated with old-growth forests are distributed in space, what differences exist across distinct forest types and what natural or anthropic conditions are affecting the distribution of these old-growthness attributes. Using data from the Third Spanish National Forest Inventory (1997–2007), we calculated six indicators commonly associated with forest old-growthness for the plots in the territory of Peninsular Spain and Balearic Islands, and then combined them into an aggregated index. We then assessed their spatial distribution and the differences across five forest functional types, as well as the effects of ten climate, topographic, landscape, and anthropic variables in their distribution. Relevant geographical patterns were apparent, with climate factors, namely temperature and precipitation, playing a crucial role in the distribution of these attributes. The distribution of the indicators also varied across different forest types, while the effects of recent anthropic impacts were weaker but still relevant. Aridity seemed to be one of the main impediments for the development of old-growthness attributes, coupled with a negative impact of recent human pressure. However, these effects seemed to be mediated by other factors, specially the legacies imposed by the complex history of forest management practices, land use changes and natural disturbances that have shaped the forests of Spain. The results of this exploratory analysis highlight on one hand the importance of climate in the dynamic of forests towards old-growthness, which is relevant in a context of Climate Change, and on the other hand, the need for more insights on the history of our forests in order to understand their present and future.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54270,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecosystems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100281"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143104278","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early field performance of three planted inland northwest conifer species: Effects of root growth potential, morphology, and environmental conditions","authors":"Cen Chen ,&nbsp;Jacob A. Reely ,&nbsp;Andrew S. Nelson","doi":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100280","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100280","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A common concern to planting for reforestation is seedling failure that is directly measurable by seedling early field performance of growth and survival. Root growth potential (RGP) is a commonly used metric of seedling quality and has been considered indicative of seedling field performance. The effect of RGP is thought to be dependent on planting site and underlining environmental conditions. Moisture stress often is considered the primary cause of seedling failure in addition to other environmental factors such as soil physicochemical properties in regions such as the Inland Northwest of the United States that is prone to growing season drought. In addition, it is interesting to test whether seedling early field performance is related to their morphological attributes and whether the morphological attributes are related to RGP. A comprehensive evaluation on early field performance of three planted conifer species of interior Douglas-fir (<em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em> (Mirb.) Franco var. <em>g</em><em>lauca</em> (Beissn.) Franco), grand fir (<em>Abies grandis</em> (Douglas ex D. Don) Lindl.), and western larch (<em>Larix occidentalis</em> Nutt.) was conducted in this study. It was found that RGP did not show clear correlation with early field performance across species. RGP also was not significantly correlated with seedling morphological measures such as below- and above-ground biomass and root-to-shoot ratio (R:S, by mass). Early field performance of growth and survival varied greatly across individuals of seedlings. The most influential predictors of early seedling growth and survival were their initial size (indicative of energy reserve) and soil temperature that likely interacted with soil moisture. Our findings suggest that seed stock selection for reforestation probably should favor species and genotypes with greatest heat tolerance that may be better adapted to future conditions in the region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54270,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecosystems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100280"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143104354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}