Differences in climate and drought response of the exotic plantation species Abies firma, Cryptomeria japonica, and Chamaecyparis obtusa in southern Korea

ABSTRACT

Exotic species plantations are increasing for timber production and other economic benefits. However, evaluation of species adaptation to local climates requires long-term research and the information is still limited. This study was conducted to understand the growth response of three exotic tree species, Abies firma, Cryptomeria japonica, and Chamaecyparis obtusa, to regional moisture conditions during the dry spring and wet summer in plantations located in south-central Korea. We examined the growth response of A. firma, C. japonica, and C. obtusa to monthly precipitation and drought indices from 1950 to 1998 using tree-ring analysis. The radial growth of A. firma showed a significantly positive relationship with precipitation and drought indices in spring (p < 0.05). Water stress in spring was the main limitation to radial growth in A. firma. In contrast, C. japonica and C. obtusa, with indeterminate growth, had negative correlations with precipitation and drought indices in summer (p < 0.05). Abnormally high summer precipitation may interrupt photosynthesis by reducing sunshine duration and evaporation, negatively affecting the growth of C. japonica and C. obtusa. The different responses of these species to monthly precipitation and drought indices imply that regional precipitation patterns should be carefully considered in species selection for the establishment of exotic species plantations.

KEYWORDS:

• Drought index
• precipitation
• sunshine duration
• radial growth
• tree-ring analysis

Acknowledgments

Support was provided by R&D Program for Forest Science Technology (Project No. 2014109C10-2020-AA01) of the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute, Korea Forest Service, and research funding (500-20170206) of Seoul National University. We would like to thank all of those who participated in the field survey and data processing. We thank the Nambu University Forest, Seoul National University for permitting access and data collection. We acknowledge the Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, for language assistance and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Korea Forest Service (Korea Forestry Promotion Institute) [2014109C10-2020-AA01]; Seoul National University [500-20170206].