It is prudent to understand how changes in climate will affect tree-ring growth, wood fibre quality, and percent carbon content in natural and planted stands in central interior British Columbia (BC), as BC produces high volumes of wood fibres that are competitive in a global market. Wood properties within natural and planted stands of hybrid white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) x engelmannii (Parry)) (percent carbon, ring-width, earlywood and latewood width and wood cell properties of cell wall thickness, density, microfibril angle, radial diameter and coarseness) were assessed to determine if climate variation is a limiting growth factor. Results show precipitation is an important limiting factor in planted stand growth with some indication that increasing temperatures limit growth in natural stands. Relationships between climate and percent carbon indicate that rising winter, spring, and summer temperatures coupled with reduced precipitation strongly limit percent carbon accumulation in most natural and planted stands.
