•Droughts and frosts impact growth in species southernmost distribution limits.•Droughts and frosts impair Silver fir and European beech radial growth.•Silver fir growth is more affected by drought ...than by late frosts.•European beech growth is more affected by late frosts than by drought.•We could not find interactive effects of drought and late frosts on growth.
Climate warming has lengthened the growing season by advancing leaf unfolding in many temperate tree species. However, an earlier leaf unfolding increases also the risk of frost damage in spring which may reduce tree radial growth. In equatorward populations of temperate tree species, both late frosts and summer droughts impose two constraints to tree growth, but their effects on growth are understudied. We used a tree-ring network of 71 forests to evaluate the potential influence of late frosts and summer droughts on growth in two tree species that reach their southern distribution limits in north-eastern Spain: the deciduous European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and the evergreen Silver fir (Abies alba Mill). The occurrence of late frost events and summer drought was quantified by using a high-resolution daily temperature and precipitation dataset considering the period 1950–2012. Late frosts were defined as days with average temperature below 0 °C in the site-specific frost-free period, whereas drought was quantified using the 18 month-long August Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). The growth of European beech and Silver fir was reduced by the occurrence of both late frost events and summer drought. However, we did not find a significant interaction on growth of these two climate extremes. Beech was more negatively impacted by late frosts, whereas Silver fir was more impacted by summer drought. Further studies could use remote-sensing information or in situ phenological records to refine our frost index and better elucidate how late frosts affect growth, whether they interact with drought to constrain growth, and how resilience mechanisms related to post-frost refoliation operate in beech.
CONTEXT : In the Mediterranean area, numerous decline and mortality processes have been reported during recent decades, affecting forest dynamics. They are likely due to increases in summer drought ...severity and therefore especially affect drought-sensitive species, such as silver fir (Abies alba Mill.). AIMS AND METHODS : To understand the relationships between tree growth, crown condition and mortality probability, radial growth trends of healthy, declining (showing crown damages) and dead trees were compared using tree-ring analysis. Factors involved in determining this mortality were also examined at the plot and tree level using altitudinal gradients on three contrasted sites in southeastern France. RESULTS : Individuals with higher inter-annual variability in growth were more prone to dieback. At two sites, dead trees displayed lower growth rates over their entire lifetime, while, on the last site, their juvenile growth rate was higher. Trees with crown damage had higher growth rates than healthy trees on one site, and their radial growth trends over time always differed from those of dead trees. Mortality and crown damage were little related to altitude, but strongly differed between sites and among plots underlining the importance of local edaphic and topographic conditions. CONCLUSION : These results suggest that the relationships among mortality probability, crown condition and growth can differ among sites, and highlight the impact of soil conditions and the need to assess them in tree mortality studies.
•Two prediction models were developed for the bark beetle damage on two conifers.•Large differences in bark beetle damage patterns were observed between Norway spruce and Silver fir.•Strong drivers ...for damage were the density of host plants and climatic variables.•Damage in the previous year was an important indicator for the damage in current year.•The models predicted the damage pattern by bark beetles in the next year very good.
In recent years bark beetles have been shown to be an important risk factor in European forests. An early warning system is needed to mitigate bark beetle damage, and short-term forecasting models that assist efforts to identify attacked trees comprise an important part of such a system. The aim of this study was to develop short-term forecasting models of the probability of bark beetle outbreaks on two important conifer tree species: Norway spruce (Picea abies) and silver fir (Abies alba). For the development of the models, we used a time series of 20 years of sanitary felling because of bark beetles and relief data (altitude, slope and exposition), several soil variables, climate data (temperature and SPI), sanitary felling because of bark beetles, sanitary felling due to harmful abiotic factors, and amount of weakened trees due to bark beetles. The forecasting variable was sanitary felling because of bark beetles in the current year. The models were developed with a general linear model with binomial error distribution. For the probability of bark beetle outbreaks on silver fir, the amount of fir, soil base saturation percentage, sanitary felling of attacked fir, weakened fir, and sanitary felling because of abiotic factors increased the probability of sanitary felling because of fir bark beetles. Altitude, exposition, slope, phosphorus, soil depth, soil cation exchange capacity, SPI and temperature decreased the probability of sanitary felling because of fir bark beetles. For Norway spruce, the amount of Norway spruce, soil base saturation percentage, SPI, temperature, amount of sanitary felling in the previous year, amount of weakened trees in the previous year, and amount of sanitary felling because of abiotic factors in the previous year increased the probability of sanitary felling of Norway spruce because of bark beetles in the current year. Slope, soil cation exchange capacity, and precipitation decreased the probability of sanitary felling because of bark beetles in the current year. The performance of the bark beetle risk model for Norway spruce was very good. The performance of the model for silver fir was also good, but not on par with that for Norway spruce. Therefore, additional research on fir bark beetles is needed to further improve the risk model for bark beetle attacks on silver fir.
The future performance of native tree species under climate change conditions is frequently discussed, since increasingly severe and more frequent drought events are expected to become a major risk ...for forest ecosystems. To improve our understanding of the drought tolerance of the three common European temperate forest tree species Norway spruce, silver fir and common beech, we tested the influence of climate and tree‐specific traits on the inter and intrasite variability in drought responses of these species. Basal area increment data from a large tree‐ring network in Southern Germany and Alpine Austria along a climatic cline from warm‐dry to cool‐wet conditions were used to calculate indices of tolerance to drought events and their variability at the level of individual trees and populations. General patterns of tolerance indicated a high vulnerability of Norway spruce in comparison to fir and beech and a strong influence of bioclimatic conditions on drought response for all species. On the level of individual trees, low‐growth rates prior to drought events, high competitive status and low age favored resilience in growth response to drought. Consequently, drought events led to heterogeneous and variable response patterns in forests stands. These findings may support the idea of deliberately using spontaneous selection and adaption effects as a passive strategy of forest management under climate change conditions, especially a strong directional selection for more tolerant individuals when frequency and intensity of summer droughts will increase in the course of global climate change.
•Silver fir is major European tree species impacted by climate warming.•Silver fir growth and distribution increase as climate warms.•Severe drought constrains silver fir growth leading to ...dieback.•Rising temperature and evaporative demand threaten marginal silver fir populations.
There is large uncertainty on the future of European silver fir (Abies alba) forests and how they will respond to climate warming. Many studies, such as Walder et al. (2021), suggest they will show positive growth trends and a larger distribution area in response to warmer conditions whenever summer drought is not severe and long. This contradicts localized dieback events in continental, drought-prone Mediterranean sites mainly located in the southwestern margin of the current species distribution range. We discuss these disagreements and propose compound climate extremes and elevated atmospheric drought as drivers of dieback in similar marginal silver fir populations.
Extreme droughts are expected to increase in frequency and severity in many regions of the world, threatening multiple ecosystem services provided by forests. Effective strategies to adapt forests to ...such droughts require comprehensive information on the effects and importance of the factors influencing forest resistance and resilience. We used a unique combination of inventory and dendrochronological data from a long‐term (>30 years) silvicultural experiment in mixed silver fir and Norway spruce mountain forests along a temperature and precipitation gradient in southwestern Germany. We aimed at examining the mechanisms and forest stand characteristics underpinning the resistance and resilience to past mild and severe droughts. We found that (i) fir benefited from mild droughts and showed higher resistance (i.e., lower growth loss during drought) and resilience (i.e., faster return to pre‐drought growth levels) than spruce to all droughts; (ii) species identity determined mild drought responses while species interactions and management‐related factors strongly influenced the responses to severe droughts; (iii) intraspecific and interspecific interactions had contrasting effects on the two species, with spruce being less resistant to severe droughts when exposed to interaction with fir and beech; (iv) higher values of residual stand basal area following thinning were associated with lower resistance and resilience to severe droughts; and (v) larger trees were resilient to mild drought events but highly vulnerable to severe droughts. Our study provides an analytical approach for examining the effects of different factors on individual tree‐ and stand‐level drought response. The forests investigated here were to a certain extent resilient to mild droughts, and even benefited from such conditions, but were strongly affected by severe droughts. Lastly, negative effects of severe droughts can be reduced through modifying species composition, tree size distribution and stand density in mixed silver fir‐Norway spruce forests.
We examined mechanisms and stand characteristics underpinning the growth resistance (Rt), recovery (Rc) and resilience (Rs) to past mild and severe droughts in mixed silver fir and Norway spruce mountain forests in southwestern Germany. We found that the forests investigated were to a certain extent resilient to mild droughts, and even benefited from such conditions, but were strongly affected by severe droughts (especially those stands with higher residual basal area and larger trees). Lastly, negative effects of severe droughts can be reduced through modifying species composition, tree size distribution and stand density in mixed silver fir‐Norway spruce forests.
Key message
Conventional methods for estimating the current annual increment of stand volume are based on the uncertain assumption that height increment decreases with tree age. Conversely, size, ...rather than age, should be accounted for the observed senescence-related declines in relative growth rate and, consequently, implemented in silvicultural manuals. Results stem from a study on
Abies alba
Mill. at its southern limit of distribution.
Context
Many factors limit height increment when age and size increase in large-statured tree species. Height–diameter allometric relationships are commonly used measures of tree growth.
Aims
In this study, we tested if tree age was the main factor affecting the reduction in height increment of silver fir trees (
Abies alba
Mill.), verifying also whether tree size had a significant role in ecophysiological-biomechanical limitations to tree growth.
Methods
The study was carried out in a silver fir forest located in Southern Italy, at the southernmost distribution limit for this species. Through a stratified random sampling, 100 trees were selected. All the selected trees were then felled and the total tree height, height increments (internode distances), diameter at breast height, and diameter increments (ring widths) were measured.
Results
The analyses of allometric models and scaling coefficients showed that the correlation between tree age and height increment was not always significant.
Conclusion
We may conclude that tree age did not statistically explain the decrease in height increment in older trees. Instead, the increase in tree size and related physiological processes (expressed as product between diameter at breast height and tree height) explained the reduction in height increment in older trees and was the main factor limiting height growth trends in marginal population of silver fir.
Extracts from the bark of different conifer species are known to contain various polyphenols and possess interesting pharmacological activities. So far the most extensive research was done on the ...antioxidative extract of the maritime pine (Pinus maritima) bark, which is widely used in food supplements and cosmetic products. Here we have shown, that antioxidant activity of silver fir (Abies alba) bark extract is higher than of maritime pine bark extract in cultured cells. Components of the extract were separated with normal phase flash chromatography and reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The structures of individual compounds were identified by mass spectrometry, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy and comparison to reference compounds. Six phenolic acids were identified (gallic, homovanillic, protocatehuic, p-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic and p-coumaric), three flavonoids (catechin, epicatechin and catechin tetramethyl eter) and four lignans (taxiresinol, 7-(2-methyl-3,4-dihydroxytetrahydropyran-5-yloxy)-taxiresinol, secoisolariciresinol and laricinresinol).
Warmer climate and more frequent extreme droughts will pose major threats to forest ecosystems. Past demography processes due to post-glacial recolonization and adaptation to local environmental ...conditions are among the main contributors to genetic differentiation processes among provenances. Assessing the intra-specific variability of tree growth responses to such changes is crucial to explore a species' potential to cope with climate warming. We combined growth-related traits derived from tree-ring width series with neutral genetic information of 18 European provenances of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) growing in two common garden experiments in Switzerland.
Analyses based on neutral single nucleotide polymorphisms revealed that the studied provenances grouped into three longitudinal clusters. These three genetic clusters showed differences in growth traits (height and DBH), with the provenances from the eastern cluster exhibiting the highest growth. The Pyrenees cluster showed significantly lower recovery and resilience to the extreme drought of 2003 as well as lower values of growth autocorrelation. QST-FST and correlation analyses with climate of provenance origin suggest that the differences among provenances found in some traits result from natural selection.
Our study suggests that the last post-glacial re-colonization and natural selection are the major drivers explaining the intra-specific variability in growth of silver fir across Europe. These findings highlight the importance of combining dendroecology and genetic analyses on fitness-related traits to assess the potential of a species to cope with global environmental change and provide insights to support assisted gene flow to ensure the persistence of the species in European forests.
Display omitted
•Long-term growth and its climate responses have a clear genetic basis.•Natural selection and past demography explain intra-specific differences in growth.•Southern provenances are not always the best performers growth-wise.•Combining dendrochronology and genetics can inform assisted migration strategies.
PDF
