Spatiotemporal dynamics of bamboo forest net primary productivity with climate variations in Southeast China

Net primary productivity (NPP) is an important indicator of forest biomass accumulation as well as carbon sink capacity. Bamboo forests have gained much attention because of their high carbon sequestration potential. However, the estimations of bamboo forest NPP based on field investigations and statistical analyses in previous studies have varied and do not accurately reflect the spatiotemporal dynamics at the regional level, leading to missing information on the long-term spatiotemporal variations and the formative mechanisms of bamboo forest NPP. We used a process-based ecosystem model to estimate the spatiotemporal dynamics of bamboo forest NPP based on continuous forest resources inventory datasets for Zhejiang Province, China, from 2001 to 2015. Estimates of NPP increased from 250.75 g C m−2 year−1 in 2001 to 409.09 g C m−2 year−1 in 2015 and accounted for approximately 9.39% of the total NPP of forests in Zhejiang Province. A total of 67.51% of the bamboo forested area showed increasing NPP trends, and most increases occurred in the northwest, southwest, and eastern hilly regions of Zhejiang Province. The spatiotemporal patterns of bamboo forest NPP were sensitive to climatic factors and significantly correlated with precipitation. However, human activities, such as management measures, management levels, and policies, also had effects on the NPP of bamboo forests. This improved understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics of bamboo forest NPP could provide a reference for the sustainable management of bamboo forests, and we will explore the response of the bamboo forest NPP to future climate changes in later studies.