Krasnova et al. (2026) Stand composition modulates water use efficiency in adjacent mature boreal forests

Identification

• Journal: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-29
• Authors: Alisa Krasnova, Anne Klosterhalfen, Peng Zhao, Jinshu Chi, Dmitrii Krasnov, Tim Schacherl, Hjalmar Laudon, Mats B. Nilsson, Matthias Peichl
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2026.111388

Research Groups

• Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Umeå, Sweden
• University of Tartu, Department of Geography, Tartu, Estonia
• Bioclimatology, University of G¨ottingen, G¨ottingen, Germany
• Key Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas of Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
• Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Thrust, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
• Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia

Short Summary

This study investigates the effect of stand composition on water use efficiency in adjacent mature boreal forests. Using six years of eddy covariance data from two sites with contrasting species composition, the results show that mixed forest stands exhibit lower water use efficiency than pine monoculture stands.

Objective

• Investigate how stand composition affects water use efficiency in mature boreal forests.
• Examine the sensitivity of water use efficiency to environmental drivers such as air temperature, vapour pressure deficit, and soil moisture.
• Determine the impact of drought on water use efficiency in mixed and pine forest stands.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Local scale, with two adjacent study sites in northern Sweden.
• Temporal Scale: Six years (2015–2020) of eddy covariance data collection.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: EddyPro software for flux calculation and processing.
• Data sources: Eddy covariance measurements from two study sites, with additional data on meteorological variables and soil moisture.

Main Results

• Mixed forest stands exhibit lower water use efficiency than pine monoculture stands across all three metrics (EWUE, WUEc, UWUE).
• The difference in water use efficiency between the two stand types is most pronounced during periods of low vapour pressure deficit.
• Drought has a significant impact on water use efficiency, with mixed forest stands exhibiting stronger responses to drought than pine monoculture stands.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the effects of stand composition on water use efficiency in mature boreal forests.
• The results highlight the importance of considering stand composition when predicting ecosystem functioning under changing environmental conditions.

Funding

• Swedish Research Council (VR)
• Formas, Sweden's science and research council for sustainable development
• Estonian Science Foundation (ETF)

Citation

@article{Krasnova2026Stand,
  author = {Krasnova, Alisa and Klosterhalfen, Anne and Zhao, Peng and Chi, Jinshu and Krasnov, Dmitrii and Schacherl, Tim and Laudon, Hjalmar and Nilsson, Mats B. and Peichl, Matthias},
  title = {Stand composition modulates water use efficiency in adjacent mature boreal forests},
  journal = {Agricultural and Forest Meteorology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.agrformet.2026.111388},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2026.111388}
}