Stand structure and drought alter tree mortality risk in nevada’s pinyon-juniper woodlands

Abstract

Severe droughts in the southwestern USA in 2002- 2003 revealed that pinyon pine and juniper trees are susceptible to widespread mortality caused by severe water deficits and drought-facilitated insect outbreaks (Breshears et al., 2005; Clifford et al., 2008). Despite increased interest in forest susceptibility to drought, the influence of stand structure on the drought resilience of pinyon-juniper woodlands remains uncertain (Meddens et al., 2015). Stand structure is of particular interest because it is readily manipulated by silvicultural practices such as thinning. Page (2008) suggests, for example, thinning pinyon-juniper woodlands to between 5 and 25 percent of maximum stand density index (SDI) in order to reduce fuel loads and increase understory vegetation. If trees are more susceptible to drought in denser stands, thinning may also be a viable strategy to increase resilience to drought.

Parent Publication

• Symposium Proceedings on Piñon-Juniper Habitats: Status and Management for Wildlife - 2016

Citation

Flake, Samuel W.; Weisberg, Peter J. 2020. Stand structure and drought alter tree mortality risk in nevada’s pinyon-juniper woodlands. In: Malcolm, Karl; Dykstra, Brian; Johnson, Kristine; Lightfoot, David; Muldavin, Esteban; Ramsey, Marikay. Symposium Proceedings on Pinon-Juniper Habitats: Status and Management for Wildlife - 2016. Proceedings RMRS-P-77. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 20-22.