Growth trends and environmental drivers of major tree species of the northern hardwood forest of eastern North America  

作　　者：Rebecca L.Stern Paul G.Schaberg Shelly A.Rayback Christopher F.Hansen Paula F.Murakami Gary J.Hawley 

机构地区：[1]Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources,The University of Vermont,Burlington,VT 05405,USA [2]ERM,Malvern,PA 19355,USA [3]Forest Service,United States Department of Agriculture,Northern Research Station,Burlington,VT 05405,USA [4]Department of Geography,The University of Vermont,Burlington,VT 05405,USA

出　　处：《Journal of Forestry Research》2023年第1期37-50,共14页林业研究（英文版）

基　　金：supported by the USDA Forest Service,Northern Research Station and the USDA McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research Program at the University of Vermont。

摘　　要：The future health and productivity of tree species in the northern hardwood forest of eastern North America are uncertain considering changes in climate and pollution loading there.To better understand the trajectory of the northern hardwood forest,we studied the growth of three tree species emblematic of it:sugar maple(Acer saccharum Marsh),American beech(Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.),and yellow birch(Betula alleghaniensis Britton),plus a fourth species,red maple(Acer rubrum L.),whose abundance has increased in the region.We also analyzed the link between growth and several factors for690 trees in 45 plots throughout Vermont,USA:tree age and size,site elevation,and climate and acid deposition variables.Throughout their chronologies(1945-2014),all four species exhibited increasing growth followed by plateaued growth indicative of a maturing forest.For all species,summer moisture was positively correlated with growth,summer temperature was negatively associated with growth,and winter moisture or snow were positively correlated with growth.This last association was expected for sugar maple.However,our data suggest that winter snowpack may be more broadly relevant in sustaining tree growth in a region where snow has historically insulated the soil from freezing that can damage roots and lead to reduced aboveground growth.Measures of pollution deposition were also correlated with growth for all species except American beech—a species with documented tolerance to pollutant inputs.Of the four species studied,red maple had the fewest associations with environmental variables,which suggests that it may be less susceptible to growth reductions as the climate changes.

关 键 词：Climate change Sugar maple Yellow birch American beech Red maple 

分 类 号：S718[农业科学—林学]