Linkages between Climate, Radial Growth and Defoliation in Abies pinsapo Forests from Southern Spain

Systematic forest networks of health monitoring have been established to follow changes in tree vigor and mortality. These networks often lack long-term growth data, but they could be complemented with tree ring data, since both defoliation and radial growth are proxies of changes in tree vigor. For instance, a severe water shortage should reduce growth and increase tree defoliation in drought-prone areas. However, the effects of climatic stress and drought on growth and defoliation could also depend on tree age. To address these issues, we compared growth and defoliation data with recent climate variability and drought severity in Abies pinsapo old and young trees sampled in Southern Spain, where a systematic health network (Andalucía Permanent Plot Network) was established. Our aims were: (i) to assess the growth sensitivity of old and young A. pinsapo trees and (ii) to test if relative changes in radial growth were related with recent defoliation, for instance, after severe droughts. We also computed the resilience indices to quantify how old and young trees recovered growth after recent droughts. Wet-cool conditions during the prior autumn and the current early summer improved the growth of old trees, whereas late-spring wet conditions enhanced the growth of young trees. Old trees were more sensitive to wet and sunny conditions in the early summer than young trees. Old and young trees were more responsive to the Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index drought index of June–July and July–August calculated at short (one–three months) and mid (three–six months) time scales, respectively. Old trees presented a higher resistance to a severe drought in 1995 than young trees. A positive association was found between stand defoliation and relative growth. Combining monitoring and tree ring networks is useful for the detection of early warning signals of dieback in similar drought-prone forests.

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Tree-Ring Analysis Reveals Density-Dependent Vulnerability to Drought in Planted Mongolian Pines

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11010098 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 98

Author(s):

ShouJia Sun ◽

Shuai Lei ◽

HanSen Jia ◽

Chunyou Li ◽

JinSong Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Radial Growth ◽

Potential Evapotranspiration ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Ring Width ◽

Stand Density ◽

Severe Drought ◽

Drought Event ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Tree Ring Data

Population density influences tree responses to environmental stresses, such as drought and high temperature. Prolonged drought negatively affects the health of Mongolian pines in forests planted by the Three-North Shelter Forest Program in North China. To understand the relationship between stand density and drought-induced forest decline, and to generate information regarding the development of future management strategies, we analyzed the vulnerability to drought of planted Mongolian pines at three stand densities. A tree-ring width index for trees from each density was established from tree-ring data covering the period 1988–2018 and was compared for differences in radial growth. Resistance (Rt), recovery (Rc), resilience (Rs), and relative resilience (RRs) in response to drought events were calculated from the smoothed basal area increment (BAI) curves. The high-density (HDT) group showed a consistently lower tree-ring width than the border trees (BT) and low-density (LDT) groups. The BAI curve of the HDT group started to decrease five years earlier than the LDT and BT groups. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the radial growth of all of the groups was related to precipitation, relative humidity (RH), potential evapotranspiration (ET0), and standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) in the previous October and the most recent July, indicating that Mongolian pine trees of different densities had similar growth–climate relationships. Over the three decades, the trees experienced three severe drought events, each causing reduced tree-ring width and BAI. All of the groups showed similar Rc to each drought event, but the HDT group exhibited significantly lower Rt, Rs, and RRs than the BT group, suggesting that the HDT trees were more vulnerable to repeated drought stress. The RRs of the HDT group decreased progressively after each drought event and attained <0 after the third event. All of the groups showed similar trends regarding water consumption under varying weather conditions, but the HDT group showed significantly reduced whole-tree hydraulic capability compared with the other two groups. From these results, HDT trees exhibit ecophysiological memory effects from successive droughts, including sap flux dysfunction and higher competition index, which may prevent recovery of pre-drought growth rates. HDT trees may be at greater risk of mortality under future drought disturbance.

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Sampling density and date influence spatial representation of tree ring reconstructions

10.5194/cp-2020-31 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Justin T. Maxwell ◽

Grant L. Harley ◽

Trevis J. Matheus ◽

Brandon M. Strange ◽

Kayla Van Aken ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Spatial Variability ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Tree Rings ◽

Large Scale ◽

The United States ◽

Severe Drought ◽

Ring Network ◽

Tree Ring Data ◽

The Us

Abstract. Our understanding of the natural variability of hydroclimate before the instrumental period (ca. 1900 in the United States; US) is largely dependent on tree-ring-based reconstructions. Large-scale soil moisture reconstructions from a network of tree-ring chronologies have greatly improved our understanding of the spatial and temporal variability in hydroclimate conditions, particularly extremes of both drought and pluvial (wet) events. However, certain regions within these large-scale reconstructions in the US have a sparse network of tree-ring chronologies. Further, several chronologies were collected in the 1980s and 1990s, thus our understanding of the sensitivity of radial growth to soil moisture in the US is based on a period that experienced multiple extremely severe droughts and neglects the impacts of recent, rapid global change. In this study, we expanded the tree-ring network of the Ohio River Valley in the US, a region with sparse coverage. We used a total of 72 chronologies across 15 species to examine how increasing the density of the tree-ring network influences the representation of reconstructing the Palmer Meteorological Drought Index (PMDI). Further, we tested how the sampling date influenced the reconstruction models by creating reconstructions that ended in the year 1980 and compared them to reconstructions ending in 2010 from the same chronologies. We found that increasing the density of the tree-ring network resulted in reconstructed values that better matched the spatial variability of instrumentally recorded droughts and to a lesser extent, pluvials. By sampling tree in 2010 compared to 1980, the sensitivity of tree rings to PMDI decreased in the southern portion of our region where severe drought conditions have been absent over recent decades. We emphasize the need of building a high-density tree-ring network to better represent the spatial variability of past droughts and pluvials. Further, chronologies on the International Tree-Ring Data Bank need updating regularly to better understand how the sensitivity of tree rings to climate may vary through time.

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Growth and yield estimation of Chamaecyparis spp. through tree ring analysis

Banko Janakari ◽

10.3126/banko.v22i2.9197 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 36-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

D. K. Kharal ◽

T. Fujiwara

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Radial Growth ◽

Ring Width ◽

Forest Products ◽

Growth And Yield ◽

Tree Age ◽

Biomass Estimation ◽

Tree Ring Analysis ◽

Ring Density ◽

Ring Analysis

Tree ring analysis is one of the most useful methods in volume and biomass estimation especially of the conifer trees. Ring width and ring density are important parameters in dendrochronological research. The present research was carried out with the aim of estimating the radial and volumetric growth of the Japanese Cypress trees (Chamaecyperis obstusa and C. pisifera). Destructive method was used while collecting the wood samples from the selected trees. Ring width and ring density were measured using soft X-ray densitometry method using micro-densitometer. Computer programme, developed by the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Japan was used to analyze the ring with and ring density data. The average ring width of the Chamaecyparis spp. was found to be about 3.4 mm at the age of 30 years. However, two types of growth pattern were observed in the trees. Average radial growth was about 5% every year during the first 20 years of the tree age, whereas, the average radial growth was negative during the age of 20–30 years. Average density of the tree rings were increased by about 11% in each height of the trees starting from the ground. Similarly, the stem density decreased by about 3.4% annually along the radial direction from the pith.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/banko.v22i2.9197Banko Janakari: A Journal of Forestry Information for NepalVol. 22, No. 2, 2012 November Page: 36-42 Uploaded date: 12/1/2013

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Recent growth increases in old-growth longleaf pine

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x93-110 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 23 (5) ◽

pp. 846-853 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

D.C. West ◽

T.W. Doyle ◽

M.L. Tharp ◽

J.J. Beauchamp ◽

W.J. Platt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Longleaf Pine ◽

Biomass Accumulation ◽

Severity Index ◽

Drought Severity ◽

Tree Ring Chronology ◽

Annual Increment ◽

Old Growth ◽

Tree Ring Data ◽

Old Trees

Longleaf pine (Pinuspalustris Mill.) tree-ring data were obtained from an old-growth stand located in Thomas County, Georgia. The tree-ring chronology from the pine stand is composed of a collection of cores extracted from 26 trees ranging in age from approximately 100 to 400 years. These cores were prepared, dated, and measured, and the resulting data were examined with dendrochronological and statistical techniques. Beginning in approximately 1950 and continuing to the present, annual increments of all age classes examined in this study have increased, resulting in an average annual ring increment approximately 40% greater in 1987 than in 1950. When compared with expected annual increment, the increase for 100- to 150-year-old trees is approximately 45%, while the increase for 200- to 400-year-old trees is approximately 35%. In terms of stand-level aboveground biomass accumulation, the increased growth has resulted in approximately 5% more biomass than expected. The increased growth cannot be explained by disturbance; stand history; or trends in precipitation, temperature, or Palmer drought severity index over the last 57 years. Increased atmospheric CO2 is a possible explanation for initiation of the observed trend, while SOx and NOx may be augmenting continuation of this phenomenon.

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Synchronie large-scale disturbances and red spruce growth decline

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x93-173 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 23 (7) ◽

pp. 1361-1374 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Gregory A. Reams ◽

Paul C. Van Deusen

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Radial Growth ◽

Large Scale ◽

Red Spruce ◽

Southern Appalachians ◽

Time Interval ◽

Growth Reduction ◽

Usda Forest Service ◽

Tree Ring Data ◽

Growth Decline

Tree-ring data from the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory & Analysis and other independent sources were used to study coincidence of changes in growth and large-scale disturbances. Numerous studies report that mean radial growth of red spruce (Picearubens Sarg.) declined synchronously throughout its range in the early 1960s. We use red spruce tree-ring data from most of the major studies to show that the synchronicity of red spruce growth decline is likely the outcome of the large-scale disturbances that occurred throughout the northeastern red spruce ecosystem in the late 1930s to early 1950s. Large-scale disturbances are either not detectable or not present in the same time interval in the southern Appalachians. This appears to correspond to an absence of a 1960s radial growth reduction in this region.

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Climatic determinants of introduced Sitka spruce in Hiiumaa Island, Estonia

BALTIC FORESTRY ◽

10.46490/vol25iss1pp161 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 161-167

Author(s):

Alar Läänelaid ◽

Samuli Helama

Keyword(s):

Norway Spruce ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Sitka Spruce ◽

Early Summer ◽

Winter Temperature ◽

Moisture Regime ◽

Growth Responses ◽

Growth Variability ◽

Tree Ring Data ◽

Winter Temperatures

Tree-ring records of Sitka spruce growing in Hiiumaa (Estonia) were investigated to illustrate their growth variability and its climatic determinants. A chronology comprising ring-width series of eight big individuals from the Suuremõisa forest park was correlated with local climatic records. The growth variability of this species introduced to Hiiumaa was statistically explained profoundly by winter temperature and early-spring precipitation. Comparisons were also made with local tree-ring data of Norway spruce. Interestingly, both the native and non-native species responded positively to precipitation in June and negatively to precipitation in April. Previous studies have shown that the winter temperature response, demonstrated here for Sitka spruce, is found as Norway spruce growth responses in eastern Estonia, whereas in western Estonia the growth of the latter species is more clearly connected, similar to our findings, to early-summer precipitation. These findings indicate that while the both spruce species remain sensitive to spring/summer moisture regime, the growth of Sitka spruce may actually be less tolerate to winter temperatures, as evident here in western Estonia where the winters may likely be milder than in eastern Estonia. Common to Sitka spruce results from Hiiumaa, tree-ring data representing conspecific native populations from north-west North American sites indicated positive responses to mid-winter temperatures. Based on these results, low winter temperatures and early-summer droughts may both threaten the survival of the remnant individuals of this species in Hiiumaa.

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Effects of shoot pruning on stem growth, needle biomass, and dynamics of carbohydrates and nitrogen in Scots pine as related to season and tree age

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x90-068 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 20 (5) ◽

pp. 514-523 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

B. Långström ◽

O. Tenow ◽

A. Ericsson ◽

C. Hellqvist ◽

S. Larsson

Keyword(s):

Scots Pine ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Volume Growth ◽

Early Summer ◽

Tree Age ◽

Stem Volume ◽

Compensatory Mechanisms ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Nitrogen Concentrations ◽

Old Trees

In a field experiment in central Sweden, current shoots representing one-fifth of the needle biomass were removed from Scots pine (Pinussylvestris L.) by hand pruning young and old trees and by inducing Tomicuspiniperda (L.) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) attacks on caged young trees. Branches in the uppermost whorls were pruned in later summer, early summer, or both. Starch and nitrogen concentrations in needles were monitored for two growing seasons. After four seasons the trees were felled and effects on growth were recorded. Starch and nitrogen concentrations in needles of pruned branches decreased and increased, respectively, compared with the controls. In old trees, but not in young ones, the raised nitrogen level persisted for 3 years after pruning. Starch and nitrogen concentrations in unpruned branches of pruned whorls did not change compared with the control until these branches became pruned, i.e., each branch acted as a semiautonomous integrated physiological unit. At felling, pruned trees were short of a portion of needle biomass equal to that removed, while at the same time, the needle biomass grown out above the pruned whorls was larger than the corresponding part of the controls. Stem volume losses in old hand-pruned trees were larger than and lasted longer than in young ones and were not yet completed four growing seasons after treatment. In a stepwise linear regression analysis, final needle biomass explained most of the total variation in volume growth of young hand-pruned trees, whereas for old trees, intertree competition was more important. Responses of beetle-pruned trees were similar to those of young hand-pruned trees. Differences in response to pruning and defoliation and in recovery between young and old trees are discussed in terms of source and sink theory and of compensatory mechanisms and carbohydrate limitation, respectively.

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Climate Warming Alters Age-Dependent Growth Sensitivity to Temperature in Eurasian Alpine Treelines

Forests ◽

10.3390/f9110688 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 688 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Raúl Sanchez-Salguero ◽

J. Camarero ◽

Emilia Gutiérrez ◽

Antonio Gazol ◽

Gabriel Sangüesa-Barreda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Warming ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Radial Growth ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

Tree Age ◽

Growth Responses ◽

Polar Urals ◽

Cold Environments ◽

Age Related ◽

Old Trees

Treeline ecotones are considered early-warning monitors of the effects of climate warming on terrestrial ecosystems, but it is still unclear how tree growth at treeline will track the forecasted temperature rise in these cold environments. Here, we address this issue by analysing and projecting growth responses to climate on two different cold-limited alpine treelines: Pinus uncinata Ram. in the Spanish Pyrenees and Larix sibirica Ledeb. in the Russian Polar Urals. We assess radial-growth changes as a function of tree age and long-term climate variability using dendrochronology and a process-based model of tree growth. Climate‒growth relationships were compared considering young (age < 50 years) and old trees (age > 75 years) separately. Warm summer conditions enhanced radial growth, particularly after the 1980s, in the Polar Urals sites, whereas growth was positively related to warm spring and winter conditions in the Pyrenees sites. These associations were stronger in young than in old trees for both tree species and regions. Forecasted warm conditions are expected to enhance growth rates in both regions, while the growing season is forecasted to lengthen in the Pyrenees treelines, mostly in young trees. The observed age-related responses to temperature also depend on the forecasted warming rates. Although the temperature sensitivity is overall increasing for young trees, those responses seem more divergent, or even reversed, throughout the contrasting emission scenarios. The RCP 8.5 emission scenario corresponding to the most pronounced warming and drier conditions (+4.8 °C) could also amplify drought stress in young trees from the Pyrenees treelines. Our modelling approach provides accessible tools to evaluate functional thresholds for tree growth in treeline ecotones under warmer conditions.

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Dendroclimatology of high-elevation Nothofagus pumilio forests at their northern distribution limit in the central Andes of Chile

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x00-208 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 925-936 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Antonio Lara ◽

Juan Carlos Aravena ◽

Ricardo Villalba ◽

Alexia Wolodarsky-Franke ◽

Brian Luckman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Radial Growth ◽

Summer Precipitation ◽

Central Andes ◽

Early Summer ◽

Late Spring ◽

Tree Line ◽

Nothofagus Pumilio ◽

Precipitation Reconstruction ◽

Climate Signal

Nothofagus pumilio (Poepp et Endl.) Krasser, is a deciduous tree species that grows in Chile and adjacent Argentina between 36 and 56°S, often forming the Andean tree line. This paper presents the first eight tree-ring chronologies from N. pumilio at its northern range limit in the central Andes of Chile (3639°S) and the first precipitation reconstruction for this region. Samples were taken from upper tree-line stands (15001700 m elevation) in three study areas: Vilches, Laguna del Laja, and Conguillío. Results indicate that, at the northern sites (Vilches and Laguna del Laja), the tree-ring growth of N. pumilio is positively correlated with late-spring and early summer precipitation and that higher temperatures reduce radial growth, probably because of an increase in evapotranspiration and decrease in water availability. At the southern Conguillío study area, radial growth was negatively correlated with late-spring and early summer precipitation. The presence of volcanic activity in this latter study area, which might have masked the climate signal, did not seem to have a significant influence on radial growth. A reconstruction of NovemberDecember (summer) precipitation for the period 18371996 from N. pumilio tree-ring chronologies accounted for 37% of instrumentally recorded precipitation variance. This is the first precipitation reconstruction from N. pumilio chronologies. Only temperature and snow cover have previously been reconstructed using this species. The reconstruction indicates that the driest and wettest 25-year periods within the past 160 years are 18901914 and 19171941, respectively.

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Long-Term Effects of Climate and Competition on Radial Growth, Recovery, and Resistance in Mongolian Pines

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2021.729935 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

ShouJia Sun ◽

JinSong Zhang ◽

Jia Zhou ◽

ChongFan Guan ◽

Shuai Lei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Radial Growth ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Growth Period ◽

Reconstruction Method ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Drought Vulnerability ◽

Tree Ring Data

Understanding the response of tree growth and drought vulnerability to climate and competition is critical for managing plantation forests. We analyzed the growth of Mongolian pines in six forests planted by the Three-North Shelter Forest Program with tree-ring data and stand structures. A retroactive reconstruction method was used to depict the growth-competition relationships of Mongolian pines during the growth period and their climatic responses under different competition levels. Drought vulnerability was analyzed by measuring the basal area increment (BAI) of different competition indices (CIs). In young trees, differences in BAIs in stands with different CIs were not statistically significant. After 15–20 years, medium- and high-CI stands had significantly lower tree-ring widths (TWs) and BAIs than the low-CI stands (p < 0.05). The standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI), precipitation, relative humidity, and vapor pressure deficit were major factors affecting tree growth. On a regional scale, climate outweighed competition in determining radial growth. The relative contribution of climatic factors increased with the gap in SPEI between plantation sites and the native range, while the reverse pattern of the competition-growth relationship was observed. Drought reduced TWs and BAIs at all sites. Stands of different CIs exhibited similar resistance, but, compared with low-CI stands, high- and medium-CI stands had significantly lower recovery, resilience, and relative resilience, indicating they were more susceptible to drought stresses. Modeled CI was significantly negatively related to resistance, resilience, and relative resilience, indicating a density-dependence of tree response to drought. After exposure to multiple sequential drought events, the relative resilience of high-CI stands decreased to almost zero; this failure to fully recover to pre-drought growth rates suggests increased mortality in the future. In contrast, low-CI stands are more likely to survive in hotter, more arid climates. These results provide a better understanding of the roles of competition and climate on the growth of Mongolian pines and offer a new perspective for investigating the density-dependent recovery and resilience of these forests.

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