Effect of thinning, fertilization with biosolids, and weather on interannual ring specific gravity and carbon accumulation of a 55-year-old Douglas-fir stand in western Washington

Abstract

Marketing timber is shifting from logs, lumber, and veneer measured volumetrically to include carbon storage and energy that are based on dry mass. Conversion between volume and dry mass relies on accurate estimates of wood specific gravity (SG). We measured width and SG of growth rings and their earlywood and latewood components with X-ray densitometry on trees from controlled, thinned, biosolid fertilized, and combined treatments applied to a 55-year-old Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) stand. We developed models to predict interannual SG from climate and treatment effects and compared 20 year changes in dry mass and carbon storage with estimates from biomass equations and from the Wood Handbook average SG. Thinning increased latewood width but did not affect ring SG. Biosolid fertilization increased earlywood and latewood width and decreased ring SG 8% by decreasing earlywood SG, latewood SG, and latewood percentage. SG decreased with increased July soil moisture deficit; alternatively, SG increased with increased July total precipitation. Warmer mean March–May or August–November temperatures also increased SG. Because of the effects on SG, dry mass and carbon storage changes differed from volume changes produced by the treatments. Dry mass estimates using the average Wood Handbook SG or those calculated from biomass equations were inconsistent between treatments, with errors up to 50%.