Intra-annual wood formation of subtropical Chinese red pine shows better growth in dry season than wet season

Abstract China's subtropical forests play a vital role in sequestering global carbon; therefore, it is critical to conduct a precise investigation of intra-annual wood formation in these ecosystems to clarify the mechanisms behind this. Two field experiments were established in Chinese subtropical forests to monitor weekly the intra-annual xylem formation of Pinus massoniana Lamb. from January to December 2015, using the recently developed micro-sampling approach. The effects of climate on wood formation were also assessed using linear or mixed models. Results indicate that there is an inactive period that might be semi-dormancy in subtropical pine ecosystems in January compared with the complete dormancy in temperate and boreal ecosystems and the fully active or short-term dormancy in tropical ecosystems. The duration of xylem formation of Chinese red pine in subtropical China in 2015 was 4–6 months longer than temperate and boreal forests. Moreover, trees were found to grow better during the dry season than the wet season, indicating that the Chinese red pine ecosystem is more strongly regulated by net energy than by environmental factors. Our findings indicate that China's subtropical pine forests may benefit from the expected longer dry seasons, possibly leading to better forest growth and improved carbon sequestration under continued climate warming.