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Tropical Forests: Management and Ecology pp 289–307Cite as

Physiological Ecology of Trees and Application to Forest Management

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Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 112))

Abstract

There are numerous interactions between tree physiological ecology and forest management that require implementation in order to cope with the challenge of global change, namely, to reduce the pressure on native forests, improve recovery of degraded lands, and increase both wood production and carbon sinks in the terrestrial biosphere. Applying ecophysiological concepts and techniques to the analysis of tree performance in native and plantation forests constitutes a powerful approach to understanding the interaction of growth-limiting factors under natural conditions and to developing a basis for the selection of relevant physiological traits for tree cultivation, such as drought tolerance and nutrient use efficiency. The existing knowledge on these subjects has been applied to forest management, particularly in temperate regions, but it needs to be utilized in the tropics. Other areas require intensified research to increase understanding of forest production and to provide quantitative tools for the assessment of potential climatic changes. Subjects deserving particular emphasis are the study of seedling physiology in natural environments, the assessment of the significance of symbiotic associations for water and nutrient supply, and the development of multivariate ecosystem experiments as a basis for the prediction of short- and medium-term ecosystem responses to environmental variables.

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Authors
  1. Ernesto Medina
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 25000, 00928-5000, Río Piedras, PR, USA

    Ariel E. Lugo

  2. Southern Forest Experiment Station, USDA Forest Service, 701 Loyola Avenue, 70113-1920, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Carol Lowe

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Medina, E. (1995). Physiological Ecology of Trees and Application to Forest Management. In: Lugo, A.E., Lowe, C. (eds) Tropical Forests: Management and Ecology. Ecological Studies, vol 112. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2498-3_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2498-3_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7563-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-2498-3

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