Declining Radial Growth in Major Western Carpathian Tree Species: Insights from Three Decades of Temperate Forest Monitoring

Abstract

This study investigates the radial growth response of five key European forest tree species, i.e., Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies, Abies alba, Quercus petraea, and Pinus sylvestris, to dry years in the West Carpathians, Slovakia. Utilizing data from ICP Forests Level I plots, we identified species-specific growth declines, particularly in Pinus sylvestris and Fagus sylvatica, with milder radial growth declines for Quercus petraea and Picea abies. Abies alba exhibited a growth peak in the mid-2000s, followed by a decline in the end of the observed period. Elevation emerged as the only significant environmental predictor, explaining 3.5% of growth variability during dry periods, suggesting a potential mitigating effect. The scope of this study was limited by the complex interplay of ecological factors that influence tree growth, which vary across the ICP Forests Level I monitoring sites. Nonetheless, our findings enhance the understanding of species-specific growth responses and offer insights for the climate-smart management of temperate forests under changing conditions.

Evaluation of the Compound Effects of the 2022 Drought and Heatwave on Selected Forest Monitoring Sites in Hungary in Relation to Its Multi-Year Drought Legacy

“…Using tree-ring data from sessile and pedunculate oaks from 100 locations and 50 years from central Spain to northern Germany, Bose et al (2021) [25] found that precipitation was more important to growth than temperature and that the influence of the current spring drought and the previous winter's drought were substantial. In Slovakia, where the findings of Keszeliová, et al (2022) [26] indicated that the rise in total catchment evapotranspiration that had been seen in recent decades would continue, Rybar et al (2023) [27] investigated the ICP Forests Level I monitored the radial growth response of Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies, Abies alba, Quercus petraea, and Pinus sylvestris to the dry years in the West Carpathians. They found a significant and consistent decline in the growth, which they primarily attributed to drought with the elevation as a significant climate-relevant environmental predictor.…”