Resin tapping influence on maritime pine growth depends on tree age and stand characteristics

<p>Resin is a renewable forest resource that can increase the economic value of some forests in rural areas. Resin production is associated with climatic conditions. However, its impact on trees’ growth remains unclear. Here, we studied radial growth in six Portuguese Pinus pinaster forests that had been resin tapped for 5–7 years along a latitudinal and climatic gradient to understand whether resin tapping affects tree growth, and how it is affected by climate, stand and tree traits. Tree-ring width (TRW) on tapped and untapped trunk sides was compared before and during the tapping period. Tree-ring width decreased in the three youngest populations (&lt; 30 years), with no changes in older populations (&gt; 40 years), while TRW increased after resin harvesting began in the oldest stand (&gt; 55 years). Annual resin-tapping impact (RTI), calculated as the ratio between TRW during tapping years and the 5-year average TRW before tapping, was below and above 1 in the younger and older stands, respectively. Among stand characteristics and across sites, RTI was negatively correlated with tree competition and positively correlated with TRW, cambial age, and tree height. Climatic conditions had a minor role on tree growth response to resin tapping. Our main conclusion is that the effect of resin extraction on growth is age-dependent. Our results encourage the co-production of resin and wood on maritime pine stands over 40 years old where resin extraction impact on growth is negligible.</p>