Forest stand and canopy development unaltered by 12&nbsp;years of CO2 enrichment*

Norby, Richard J.; Warren, Jeffrey M.; Iversen, Colleen M.; Childs, Joanne; Jawdy, Sara S.; Walker, Anthony P.; Tissue, ed., David

doi:10.1093/treephys/tpab107

Forest stand and canopy development unaltered by 12 years of CO2 enrichment*

Journal Article · Fri Aug 13 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Tree Physiology (Online)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpab107· OSTI ID:1854638

; Warren, Jeffrey M.; Iversen, Colleen M.; Childs, Joanne; Jawdy, Sara S.; Walker, Anthony P.; Tissue, ed., David

Abstract

Canopy structure—the size and distribution of tree crowns and the spatial and temporal distribution of leaves within them—exerts dominant control over primary productivity, transpiration and energy exchange. Stand structure—the spatial arrangement of trees in the forest (height, basal area and spacing)—has a strong influence on forest growth, allocation and resource use. Forest response to elevated atmospheric CO2 is likely to be dependent on the canopy and stand structure. Here, we investigated elevated CO2 effects on the forest structure of a Liquidambar styraciflua L. stand in a free-air CO2 enrichment experiment, considering leaves, tree crowns, forest canopy and stand structure. During the 12-year experiment, the trees increased in height by 5 m and basal area increased by 37%. Basal area distribution among trees shifted from a relatively narrow distribution to a much broader one, but there was little evidence of a CO2 effect on height growth or basal area distribution. The differentiation into crown classes over time led to an increase in the number of unproductive intermediate and suppressed trees and to a greater concentration of stand basal area in the largest trees. A whole-tree harvest at the end of the experiment permitted detailed analysis of canopy structure. There was little effect of CO2 enrichment on the relative leaf area distribution within tree crowns and there was little change from 1998 to 2009. Leaf characteristics (leaf mass per unit area and nitrogen content) varied with crown depth; any effects of elevated CO2 were much smaller than the variation within the crown and were consistent throughout the crown. In this young, even-aged, monoculture plantation forest, there was little evidence that elevated CO2 accelerated tree and stand development, and there were remarkably small changes in canopy structure. Questions remain as to whether a more diverse, mixed species forest would respond similarly.

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Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 1854638

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1828456
OSTI ID: 1840200

Journal Information:: Tree Physiology (Online), Journal Name: Tree Physiology (Online) Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 42; ISSN 1758-4469

Publisher:: Oxford University PressCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United Kingdom

Language:: English

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Forest stand and canopy development unaltered by 12 years of CO2 enrichment*

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