Tree damage after fertilization of thinned lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, and spruce stands in the British Columbia interior : synthesis report on up to 18-year responses from EP886

Summary: "As a silvicultural practice, forest fertilization has emerged to mitigate risks and reduce the effect of damage agents on timber supply due to climate change and on subsequent extensive landscape-scale natural disturbances in British Columbia. In total, 61 installations were established in the central and southern interior of British Columbia to quantify fertilization responses of major commercial tree species. One-time fertilization with two to five kinds of fertilizer blends was applied, and the stand ages at fertilization ranged from 9 to 58 years. Plots were repeatedly measured at 3-year intervals, although a few plots were measured 2–4 years after fertilization. The repeated measurements (up to 18 years after fertilization) indicated that trees were damaged by various damage agents in the experimental sites, and that the fertilization may have been associated with the damage agents’ activities. This report provides a descriptive overview of the damage that occurred after fertilization in the EP886 installations."--