Management can mitigate drought legacy effects on the growth of a moisture-sensitive conifer tree species

Understanding the impact of management upon post-drought tree growth recovery and drought legacy effects is among the fundamental challenges hindering the improvement of forest conservation strategies in the face of increasingly frequent, longer, and intensified extreme droughts under ongoing climate change. Yet surprisingly little is known to date about how management practices can influence drought legacy effects; and previous studies of management impacts on forest resilience to drought have reached inconsistent and contentious conclusions. This study sought to tackle these pressing questions and gain insight by analyzing tree-ring datasets from non-managed and managed Qinghai spruce forests in northwestern China. The results show improved growth resilience to drought of those trees under management practices. Moreover, Qinghai spruce radial growth in non-managed forest exhibited significant legacy effects of extreme drought, whereas such legacy effects were mitigated in managed forest. Nevertheless, both the resilience augmentation and the mitigation of drought legacy effects by management were much weaker in the face of a three-year persistent drought than a single-year event. Hence, we may conclude that current management practices are advantageous and necessary for forest conservation under exacerbated drought conditions, for which strategies and measures should be better thought out and tailored to specific situations, rather than being one-size-fits-all, to better serve the goals of forest managers and conservationists.

Automated summary

Understanding the impact of management on post-drought tree growth recovery and drought legacy effects is crucial for the improvement of forest conservation strategies. This study analyzed tree-ring datasets from non-managed and managed Qinghai spruce forests in China, revealing that management practices can improve growth resilience to drought and mitigate drought legacy effects. However, the effectiveness of management is weaker during a prolonged drought. Therefore, tailored strategies and measures are needed for forest conservation in the face of exacerbated drought conditions.