Abstract
Abstract. As climate variability endangers water security in many parts of the world, maximizing the carbon balance of plantation forestry is of global importance. High plant water use efficiency is generally associated with lower plant productivity, so an explicit balance in resources is necessary to optimize water yield and tree growth. This balance requires predicting plant water use under different soil, climate, and planting conditions, as well as a mechanism to account for trade-offs in ecosystem services. Several strategies for reducing the water use of forests have been published but there is little research tying these to operational forestry. Using data from silvicultural and biofuel feedstock research in pine plantation ownership in the southeastern USA, proposed water management tools were evaluated against known treatment responses to estimate water yield, forest productivity, and economic outcomes. Ecosystem impacts were considered qualitatively and related to water use metrics. This work is an attempt to measure and compare important variables to make sound decisions about plantations and water use.
Highlights
Industrial forestry operates under a broad set of demands that are constantly shifting
While many different metrics will be needed to cover all socio-ecological impacts of land-use decisions, water use has emerged as a reasonable measure of sustainability
There is no irrigation in forestry, and consumptive water use in processing will not change with silvicultural practices
Summary
Industrial forestry operates under a broad set of demands that are constantly shifting. Climate change introduces not just new demands but additional complexity itself, which environmental research is struggling to address. While many different metrics will be needed to cover all socio-ecological impacts of land-use decisions, water use has emerged as a reasonable measure of sustainability. Water use matters more in areas of water stress, and metrics must have a weighting mechanism based on scarcity or demand and include relevant baseline conditions to be meaningful. The third difficulty is calculating the metrics at a scale appropriate to land-use management decisions. Several strategies for reducing the water use of forests have been published, ranging from policy guidelines for planting and species selection to site-specific management techniques such as thinning and site layout, but there is little research tying these to operational forestry. Using data from research in the southeastern USA, water management strategies are evaluated against known treatment responses to estimate water yield, productivity, and economic outcomes
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