Dendroecological Investigation Of Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Cavity Tree Selection In Endangered Longleaf Pine Forests

The red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW) is a keystone species that thrives in longleaf pine savanna forests. We collected and analyzed samples from longleaf pine trees in the Sandhills Gameland Reserve in North Carolina selected by RCW for their cavities (RCWC) and adjacent control trees (RCWCo) and explored differences in climate/growth response and radial growth disturbance events in these two groups. We developed RCWC and RCWCo tree-ring chronologies to explore the possibility that climate vulnerability is a component of the RCW selection process for their nests. We investigated climate/growth responses, radial growth suppressions, and physical characteristics of both tree types through a comparison of diameter at breast height (DBH), tree age, latewood band width, and frequency of resin ducts (1950–2018). For long-term climate response (1910–2018), we found no significant differences between RCWC and RCWCo trees. However, we identified significant differences in climate/growth relationships between RCWC and RCWCo through time-series analysis with significant differences in the number of suppression events and spatially grouped suppression events. We found significantly more resin ducts from 1950–2018 in RCWC trees. Our study addressed why RCWs select specific longleaf pine trees for cavities may improve conservation efforts for RCW and longleaf pine throughout their ranges.