This project is motivated by the importance of white spruce (Picea glauca) as a high commercially and ecologically value tree species in the wide range of its distribution, making white spruce one of the most important tree species in the North American boreal forest. However, white spruce forest productivity is potentially threatened by climate change. Therefore, choosing the right white spruce seed sources becomes critical for forest management to reduce long-term climatic risks and uncertainty. Until now the understanding of the white spruce to climate change is still limited, which makes seed choosing and future prediction even more difficult. This study explored the difference of growth-climate provenance responses by tree ring analysis. The results suggested that although overall white spruce samples have a very similar growth pattern, individuals from local Alberta and Ontario area have better growth(height, DBH, BAI) comparing with others. White spruce samples showed population-specific responses with climatic factors (precipitation and temperature) and drought-related disturbances. The variances of drought tolerant among regions are mild. Different responses to two continuous drought years(1999 and 2002) indicated potential regional resilience differences to disturbances frequencies and types. These findings provide guidance to predict a population's performance and to choose appropriate seed sources under climate change scenario. Future more study about white spruce response function (with multiple common gardens setting) is highly recommended.
DISCLAIMER: This is a class exercise based on modified or randomly generated datasets, and this website is developed only for the purposes of RENR 711 course.