Article
Forestry
Valentina Vitali, Stefan Klesse, Rosemarie Weigt, Kerstin Treydte, David Frank, Matthias Saurer, Rolf T. W. Siegwolf
Summary: The study investigated tree-ring width and stable isotope chronologies of Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica along a climate gradient in Central Europe, finding high sensitivity of stable isotopes to summer VPD and consistent responses across sites. There were no significant differences in isotopic responses to climate variability between dominant and suppressed trees, with high spatial coherence of δ¹⁸O variations observed over long distances. Applied dual-isotope approach indicated a general climate-driven decrease in stomatal conductance for these tree species.
Article
Forestry
Daniel J. Chmura, Jerzy Modrzynski
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the associations between growth, phenology, and climate in Norway spruce populations and whether their sensitivity to climate change varied with age. The results showed significant variation in tree growth and phenology among populations from Carpathian and Sudeten Mountains, reflecting their adaptation to the local environment. Surprisingly, there was no evidence of increasing maladaptation to climate change with age. The findings indicate that both mountain ranges' spruce populations are likely to have decreased productivity under warming and drying climate conditions.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Vladimir Sagat, Ivan Ruzek, Karel Silhan, Pavel Beracko
Summary: The study found that the natural mountain spruce stand had consistent, weak, and positive correlations to temperature variables, with negative relationships to precipitation during the growing season; whereas the planted monoculture reacted to temperature variation with fluctuations and showed almost no dependence on precipitation.
Article
Forestry
Giorgi Kozhoridze, Nataliya Korolyova, Rastislav Jakus
Summary: Forest pest infestation is a significant cause of tree mortality and woodland loss. This study used remotely sensed climate and ecological data to analyze the susceptibility of Norway spruce forests to bark beetle outbreak. The research found that the surface temperature of stands subsequently attacked by beetles was higher than intact stands in the year prior. Furthermore, the study linked above-average tree mortality to summer warming, winter temperature declines, and windstorms. The use of remotely sensed temperature data can help predict landscape-scale susceptibility to bark beetle outbreak and improve forest disturbance management.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Habib Ullah, Xiaochun Wang, Quaid Hussain, Abdullah Khan, Naveed Ahmad, Nizar Ali, Muhammad Waheed Riaz, Izhar Hussain
Summary: The study investigated the relationship between the growth of Abies pindrow and Picea smithiana in different locations in Northern Pakistan and revealed varying correlations between species and geographical locations. As climate warming intensified, there were significant changes in the correlation between tree growth and seasonal precipitation and PDSI.
Article
Forestry
Jozica Gricar, Katarina Cufar, Klemen Eler, Vladimir Gryc, Hanus Vavrcik, Martin de Luis, Peter Prislan
Summary: Climate change will impact trees' radial growth patterns, which in turn affects forest productivity, wood properties, and timber quality. Research on phenology of earlywood, latewood, and phloem formation in Norway spruce revealed varying transition dates and durations between growth seasons and sites, with implications on understanding the inter-annual variability of phenological events in spruce.
Article
Agronomy
Marili Sell, Abraham George Smith, Iuliia Burdun, Gristin Rohula-Okunev, Priit Kupper, Ivika Ostonen
Summary: The study proposes a method to measure fine root growth using smartphones and a deep learning program called RootPainter, and evaluates the effects of air humidity and soil nitrogen source on fine root growth. The results show that increased air humidity reduces fine root growth. The combination of smartphone images and RootPainter provides reliable results.
Article
Water Resources
Doerthe Tetzlaff, James Buttle, Sean K. Carey, Matthew J. Kohn, Hjalmar Laudon, James P. McNamara, Aaron Smith, Matthias Sprenger, Chris Soulsby
Summary: Comparing stable isotopes of xylem water and soil water in northern/cold regions, it was found that xylem water is depleted compared to soil waters, with a strong overlap between isotopes in xylem water from angiosperms and soil water, but not in gymnosperms. The composition of xylem water can be better explained by considering soil water composition over longer antecedent periods.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Archana Gauli, Prem Raj Neupane, Philip Mundhenk, Michael Koehl
Summary: Tree ring analyses were used to investigate the growth performance of different tree species in northern Germany and their response to climate variables. The study found that the growth response of each tree species to climate was species-specific and varied over time. Future climate projections indicate that the growth of Norway spruce could be negatively affected by increased temperature and decreased summer precipitation.
Article
Plant Sciences
Domen Arnic, Luka Krajnc, Jozica Gricar, Peter Prislan
Summary: This study analyzed the relationship between wood structure and density in Norway spruce and European beech. Significant correlations were found between tree-ring and wood-anatomical features in both species, although the specific correlations varied between species.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alessandra Bottero, David I. Forrester, Maxime Cailleret, Ulrich Kohnle, Arthur Gessler, Dominic Michel, Arun K. Bose, Jurgen Bauhus, Harald Bugmann, Matthias Cuntz, Loic Gillerot, Marc Hanewinkel, Mathieu Levesque, James Ryder, Julien Sainte-Marie, Julia Schwarz, Rasoul Yousefpour, Juan Carlos Zamora-Pereira, Andreas Rigling
Summary: The study found that silver fir exhibited higher resistance and resilience to mild droughts compared to spruce, with species interactions and management-related factors playing a crucial role in responses to severe droughts. Adjusting species composition, tree size distribution, and stand density can mitigate the negative impacts of severe droughts on mixed silver fir-Norway spruce forests.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Forestry
J. Julio Camarero, Antonio Gazol
Summary: There is uncertainty regarding how European silver fir forests will respond to climate warming, with some studies suggesting positive growth trends under warmer conditions. However, localized dieback events may occur in drought-prone Mediterranean areas.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
W. Marchand, A. Buechling, M. Rydval, V Cada, A. Stegehuis, A. Fruleux, M. Polacek, J. Hofmeister, J. Pavlin, D. Ralhan, M. Dusatko, P. Janda, M. Mikolas, O. Vostarek, R. Bace, M. Frankovic, D. Kozak, C-C Roibu, O. Chaskovskyy, S. Mikac, T. Zlatanov, M. Panayotov, A. Diku, E. Toromani, M. Svoboda
Summary: The demography of juvenile trees has a strong influence on the outcomes of global change for forests. Our study in Europe reveals the relationships between climate factors and growth rates in sapling trees of two dominant species, Norway spruce and European beech. We found that spruce has higher growth potential and is more sensitive to water availability, while beech is more tolerant of moisture limitation. Long-term warming may have positively affected juvenile tree growth, but future warming and drought may inhibit growth due to thermal thresholds and differential water stress tolerance.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Jorge Aldea, Ricardo Ruiz-Peinado, Miren del Rio, Hans Pretzsch, Michael Heym, Gediminas Brazaitis, Aris Jansons, Marek Metslaid, Ignacio Barbeito, Kamil Bielak, Aksel Granhus, Stig-Olof Holm, Arne Nothdurft, Roman Sitko, Magnus Lof
Summary: Mixed forests are considered a strategic adaptation to climate change in forest management. Scots pine and Norway spruce, two valuable tree species for European forestry, coexist naturally but the ecological functioning of mixed stands and management strategies are not well understood. In mixed stands, interspecific size-asymmetric competition strongly influences tree growth, with Scots pine growth dependent on temperature and drought, and Norway spruce growth influenced mainly by drought.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Tetiana Svystun, Jenny Lundstromer, Mats Berlin, Johan Westin, Anna Maria Jonsson
Summary: The annual growth cycle of boreal trees is affected by warmer climate, leading to earlier bud burst and increased frost damage risk. Provenance specific temperature sum requirements for bud burst were correlated with origin, and earlier bud burst timing was linked to higher frost damage risk. Assessments of frost risk under climate change can aid in selecting appropriate seed sources for Swedish forestry.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)