Long-term growth and climate response of shortleaf pine at the Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project (2004)Stambaugh, M. C., & Guyette, R. P. (2004). Long-term growth and climate response of shortleaf pine at the Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project. Proceedings, 14th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; 2004 March 16-19; Wooster, OH. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-316. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station: 448-458. Retrieved from https://www.fs.fed.us/ne/newtown_square/publications/technical_reports/pdfs/2004/316papers/StambaughGTR316.pdf Shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) is one of the most of important conifers in the Central Hardwood region both ecologically and economically. In the Ozark Highlands of Missouri and Arkansas, the presence of shortleaf pine provides an important conifer component in otherwise hardwood dominated forest types. Regional forest health issues such as oak decline and red oak borer as well as pine restoration efforts have increased interest in the species and the management of oak-pine forest types. The purpose of this paper is to provide information about the growth of shortleaf pine using one of the longest existing growth records available. Using tree-ring data collected at the Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project (MOFEP), we provide a long-term perspective of shortleaf pine growth, climate response, and regeneration. Tree-ring data from shortleaf pine remnants and cores of live trees illustrate the temporal variability in growth of shortleaf pine over the past 386 years. We developed a climate response function based on instrumental climate data from a 70 year period (1931-2001). Variation in shortleaf pine ring-width was most strongly correlated with growing year Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) months, extreme minimum winter temperatures, and previous fall season PDSI (r2 =0.43, p<0.0001). Further analysis of the relationship between tree-ring indices and PDSI suggest that the correlation was higher in the early half of the 20th century than the latter half. Late winter (January and February) may be becoming increasingly important in determining shortleaf pine growth. Spectral estimates of the tree-ring chronology suggest that shortleaf pine growth has a near 21 year periodic variation that is likely an influence of larger scale climatic cycles. Comparisons between growth of shortleaf pine in three age classes both pre- and post 1880 show that the species’ growth rate was significantly greater during the 20th century than for the two prior centuries. Management implications for the long-term variations in shortleaf pine growth are discussed
|
