Modeling potential site productivity for Austrocedrus chilensis trees in northern Patagonia (Argentina)

•In northern Patagonia, A. chilensis top height was related to climate and soil properties.•Dominant trees were taller in cooler and wetter sites with soils that stored more carbon and have lower acidity, suggesting those sites are more productive for A. chilensis.•Removing soil predictors reduced the amount of explained variance by the model (R2) but its predictive capacity (mae, mape) was not substantially affected.•Regional maps of A. chilensis site quality could be initially obtained from a few climate variables and improved by including soil information.