Abstract
In the face of increased drought intensities associated with global climate change, improved understanding of forest carbon cycle responses requires novel monitoring techniques that evaluate forest processes at intra-seasonal resolutions. This study employed automated dendrometers in a northern Rocky Mountain ecosystem in order to estimate forest woody Net Primary Productivity (NPP), a carbon flux which has not previously been measured in step with ecosystem model outputs or other readily measured carbon fluxes. Site-specific patterns of multi-scale stem circumference variation in the context of summer drought stress were first characterized in order to develop a protocol for NPP estimation in dry environments. Subsequent NPP profiles were offset to later in the summer than volume growth profiles due to continual density increases and revealed species-specific timing in relation to mid-summer drought. Study findings highlighted a methodological path towards widespread implementation of more comprehensive carbon flux accounting that includes NPP estimation.