Rainfall exclusion experiment: the effect of thinning

In addition to the risk of catastrophic losses from fire, droughts may also induce significant losses of wood fibre production. Precommercial thinning is proposed as a promising treatment to reduce water uptake at the site level, and thus make young plantations more resistant to drought. To test the efficiency of this treatment under extreme conditions, we will install a rainfall exclusion structure in two white spruce plantations in the BB and NS hubs, each consisting of a range of open-pollinated families. An MSc student will then have for objective to study the survival and radial growth response trees to a range of thinning intensities. Outcome (AD.3c): recommendations on what thinning intensity to prescribe to increase resistance to drought while limiting the loss of productivity due to a lower site occupancy.

Chloe Larstone Hunt, MSc at University of New Brunswick
Main Partner: JD Irving
Professor Loïc D'Orangeville