Drought affects trees on many different time scales. In the Southeast, we grow a lot of trees in controlled conditions for timber. The timber is managed by planting, thinning, and harvesting. Until recently, there have been very few studies done on the impacts of management techniques like thinning on the trees’ resilience to drought and other stressors. This study in the USDA’s Compass Live discusses how drought and thinning in pine plantations affects the water balance of the trees. You can read more here.

Source: Commons Wikimedia