Paige Cormier

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Major

Forestry

Advisor(s)

Jay Wason

Committee Members

William Livingston, Brian McGill

Graduation Year

May, 2025

Publication Date

2025

Abstract

Climate change is increasing temperatures and the likelihood of drought events. However, we know very little about how these new climate conditions may impact the growth and survival of many Northeastern tree species that are adapted to cool and moist conditions. The goal of this project is to determine how a wide range of climate conditions impact the growth and survival of trees and the extent to which plant traits explain these responses. We planted 320 saplings of 10 tree species in raised beds at eight locations along the coast of Maine and inland. We then tested the extent to which soil moisture, temperature, and vapor pressure deficit can predict survival and growth of each species. We found that sites that were cooler tended to also have higher average soil moisture and lower vapor pressure deficit, thus limiting our ability to separate these drivers. Despite capturing a wide range of conditions, survival through the first growing season was overall high and not related to environmental conditions. Generally, we found that height growth varied by species but was not related to environmental variables. However, we did find that diameter growth increased with soil moisture and temperature as well as decreased with vapor pressure deficit. Overall, our results suggest that even in one of the hottest years on record, likely because of high soil moisture, survival of tree saplings remained high and there were only minor effects on growth.

Download

Share