No increased drought-related mortality after thinning: a meta-analysis

Key message
Our meta-analysis showed that thinning of forest stands did not increase mortality following extreme drought events. There was also no higher mortality among dominant trees that are typically more exposed to irradiance after thinning. We show that many thinning experiments lack sufficient documentation of mortality and climatic variation and urge for more comprehensive reporting to facilitate systematic reviews.

Keywords
Drought resistance; Climate adaptation; Silvicultural options; Dominant trees; Risk-ratio meta-analysis

Publication
Willig, J., Schwarz, J., Comeau, P. et al. No increased drought-related mortality after thinning: a meta-analysis. Annals of Forest Science 82, 6 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-025-01278-7

Handling editor
John M. Lhotka