Allometric exponents as a tool to study the influence of climate on the trade-off between primary and secondary growth in major north-eastern American tree species

Background and Aims Trees invest in both primary (e.g. height) and secondary (e.g. diameter) growth. The trade-off between these investments varies between species and changes with the tree growing environment. To better establish this trade-off, readily available allometric exponents relating height to diameter at breast height (γh,dbh) and stem volume to diameter at breast height (αv,dbh) were simultaneously studied