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Douglas‐fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] is the predominant forest plantation species in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), with site productivity and fertilizer response influenced by climate and soil variations. This study investigates the utility of in situ 12‐week supply measurements of nitrogen (N), calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P) to ion‐exchange resins (specifically Plant Root Simulator [PRS] probes) to estimate carbon (C):N ratios, soil nutrient contents (0–1 m), foliar nutrient concentrations, Douglas‐fir productivity (site index and basal area mean annual increment), and fertilizer volume response. PRS nutrient supply rates were correlated with N, Ca, and P soil nutrient contents (0–1 m), C:N ratios, and foliar nutrient concentrations. Low PRS NO3 supply rates (<25 mg N·m−2·burial period−1) were correlated with lower Douglas‐fir productivity and greater fertilizer volume response. PRS NO3 supply rates performed as well as total soil N contents and foliar N concentrations at estimating volume growth response to fertilizer. Twelve weeks after fertilization, PRS NO3, NH4, and Ca supply rates were significantly elevated compared to the unfertilized treatment. This research found that PRS probes were an effective in situ tool and are recommended for understanding N, Ca, and P nutrient availabilities, site productivity, and fertilizer response in Douglas‐fir plantations and for developing fertilizer prescriptions. Core Ideas: Plant Root Simulator (PRS) ion‐exchange resins estimated N, Ca, and P availability in Douglas‐fir forests.Soils with low PRS NO3 resulted in lower Douglas‐fir site index and basal area mean annual increment.Greater fertilizer response of Douglas‐fir was found on soils with low PRS NO3 and soil total N.Urea fertilization increased PRS NO3, NH4, and Ca supply rates after 12 weeks.In a subset of installations, PRS NO3 and NH4 were reduced to control levels after 32 weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fertilizer response of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) has been related to site and soil properties in the past, but the models have explained only about half of the variation in these investigations. Fertilizer response and percent response after two years were examined, according to mapped and measured biogeoclimatic variables, for 71 Douglas-fir installations in the coastal Pacific Northwest. Paired-tree installations consisted of 12-20 pairs of Douglas-fir trees with one tree fertilized with urea at 224 kg N.ha-1. Pearson correlation coefficients and boosted regression tree (BRT) models were used to determine the best predictor variables and models of Douglas-fir fertilizer response. The BRT models, using the combination of mapped and measured variables, performed the best for predicting fertilizer response. Basal area and volume responses were most related to high forest floor and surface soil carbon to nitrogen ratios. Basal area mean annual increment (MAI) and site index were both negatively correlated with fertilizer response. Also, low basal area MAI was the most important tree measurement for predicting fertilizer response in the BRT models. Installations with many of the predictors from the BRT models (>66% of the model criteria) were found to have a significantly greater fertilizer response than installations with only a few predictors (<33% of the model criteria). These findings support the use of these models for predicting fertilizer response of similar Douglas-fir stands in the coastal Pacific Northwest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]