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1 July 2016 Post-Windstorm Radial Growth of Picea sitchensis and Pseudotsuga menziesii
K. S. Hadley, P. A. Knapp
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Abstract

This paper presents a case study examining the radial-growth history of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) trees following known and projected high-wind events along the central Oregon coast. Using tree-ring measurements collected from wind-traumatized trees of both species, we identified periods exhibiting negative (−) and positive ( ) radial growth corresponding to canopy breakage (−) and increased light levels following canopy gap formation ( ). Periods of negative and positive growth were then statistically and qualitatively compared across species and against a period of historically documented windstorms (AD 1895–2003) and a 230-year tree-ring derived windstorm record (AD 1775–2003). Our results revealed: 1) both Sitka spruce and Douglas-fir exhibit radial-growth anomalies corresponding to high-magnitude windstorms during the period of historical period, and 2) Sitka spruce is more sensitive and susceptible to wind-induced canopy trauma and exhibits an earlier onset of post-windstorm recovery than Douglas-fir over a >230-year period. These results are consistent with the combined effects of topography and coastal proximity, each species' habitat requirements, and their physiological tolerances to wind stress.

K. S. Hadley and P. A. Knapp "Post-Windstorm Radial Growth of Picea sitchensis and Pseudotsuga menziesii," Madroño 63(3), 234-248, (1 July 2016). https://doi.org/10.3120/0024-9637-63.3.234
Published: 1 July 2016
KEYWORDS
dendroecology
Douglas-fir
mid-latitude cyclones
Pacific Northwest
Sitka spruce
Wind disturbance
windstorms
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