Articles | Volume 28, issue 20
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4667-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-4667-2024
Research article
 | 
25 Oct 2024
Research article |  | 25 Oct 2024

Seasonal shifts in depth-to-water uptake by young thinned and overstocked lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests under drought conditions in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Emory C. Ellis, Robert D. Guy, and Xiaohua A. Wei

Cited articles

Allen, C. D., Macalady, A. K., Chenchouni, H., Bachelet, D., McDowell, N., Vennetier, M., Kitzberger, T., Rigling, A., Breshears, D. D., Hogg, E. H. (Ted), Gonzalez, P., Fensham, R., Zhang, Z., Castro, J., Demidova, N., Lim, J.-H., Allard, G., Running, S. W., Semerci, A., and Cobb, N.: A global overview of drought and heat-induced tree mortality reveals emerging climate change risks for forests, Forest Ecol. Manage., 259, 660–684, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2009.09.001, 2010. 
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Andrews, S. F., Flanagan, L. B., Sharp, E. J., and Cai, T.: Variation in water potential, hydraulic characteristics and water source use in montane Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine trees in southwestern Alberta and consequences for seasonal changes in photosynthetic capacity, Tree Physiol., 32, 146–160, https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpr136, 2012. 
Aranda, I., Forner, A., Cuesta, B., and Valladares, F.: Species-specific water use by forest tree species: From the tree to the stand, Agr. Water Manage., 114, 67–77, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2012.06.024, 2012. 
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Short summary
This study analyzes water-stable isotope composition by analyzing the impact of forest thinning on lodgepole pine depth-to-water uptake and water-use strategies. Lodgepole pine's primary source is spring snowmelt and shifts to rely on deeper soil water to maintain water uptake. There was no effect of decreased stand density on depth-to-water uptake. It will become more critical that we know how much water forests are using and which strategies trees use to sustain their water supply.
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