Tree-ring density and carbon isotope composition are early-warning signals of drought-induced mortality in the drought tolerant Canary Island pine

Carbon starvation during drought-induced tree mortality – are we chasing a myth?

Drought-induced tree mortality has received much attention in the recent past. McDowell et al.’s (2008) hydraulic framework links tree hydraulics with carbon dynamics and proposes two non-exclusive mortality mechanisms: carbon starvation (CS) and hydraulic failure (HF). CS is often referred to as the (partial) depletion of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) in response to stomatal closure, redu...

Evaluating spatial patterns of drought-induced tree mortality in a coastal California pine forest

In a coastal, fog-influenced forest on Santa Cruz Island in southern California, we observed mortality of Bishop pine (Pinus muricata D.Don) trees following a brief (2 year), yet intense, drought. While anecdotal evidence indicates that drought-induced Bishop pine mortality has occurred in the past in the stand we studied, this is the first attempt to capture the spatial distribution of mortali...

Improving Drought Early Warning Systems in the Context of Drought Preparedness and Mitigation

Drought Early Warning Systems in the Context of Drought Preparedness and Mitigation

Drought is a normal part of climate and occurs in virtually all regions of the world. Recent droughts have illustrated the vulnerability of all parts of the United States to extended periods of precipitation deficiency. Drought preparedness planning has become a widely accepted tool for governments at all levels to apply to reduce the risks to future events. In the United States, planning has b...

Tree mortality predicted from drought-induced vascular damage

The projected responses of forest ecosystems to warming and drying associated with twenty-first-century climate change vary widely from resiliency to widespread tree mortality1–3. Current vegetation models lack the ability to account for mortality of overstorey trees during extreme drought owing to uncertainties in mechanisms and thresholds causing mortality4,5. Here we assess the causes of tre...