Influence of disturbances and climate on high-mountain Norway spruce forests in the Low Tatra Mts., Slovakia

Parobeková, Zuzana; Sedmáková, Denisa; Kucbel, Stanislav; Pittner, Ján; Jaloviar, Peter; Saniga, Milan; Balanda, M.; Vencurik, Jaroslav

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2016.08.031

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Dieback does not occur only in areas where spruce was introduced by people. It is documented also in indigenous mountain forests (Janda et al, 2016;Parobeková et al, 2016) and in areas which were until now relatively less affected by human activities . Because such forests often occur in headwater catchments, their change can influence snow accumulation and melt and consequently runoff formation and discharge regimes in downstream areas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Mountain Spruce Forest Dieback on Snow Accumulation and Melt

Bartík

Holko

Jančo

et al. 2018

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Large-scale forest dieback was reported in recent decades in many parts of the world. In Slovakia, the most endangered species is Norway spruce (Picea Abies). Spruce dieback affects also indigenous mountain forests. We analysed changes in snow cover characteristics in the disturbed spruce forest representing the tree line zone (1420 m a.s.l.) in the Western Tatra Mountains, Slovakia, in five winter seasons 2013-2017. Snow depth, density and water equivalent (SWE) were measured biweekly (10-12 times per winter) at four sites representing the living forest (Living), disturbed forest with dead trees (Dead), forest opening (Open) and large open area outside the forest (Meadow). The data confirmed statistically significant differences in snow depth between the living and disturbed forest. These differences increased since the third winter after forest dieback. The differences in snow density between the disturbed and living forest were in most cases not significant. Variability of snow density expressed by coefficient of variation was approximately half that of the snow depth. Forest dieback resulted in a significant increase (about 25%) of the water amount stored in the snow while the snowmelt characteristics (snowmelt beginning and time of snow disappearance) did not change much. Average SWE calculated for all measurements conducted during five winters increased in the sequence Living < Dead < Meadow < Open. SWE variability expressed by the coefficient of variation increased in the opposite order.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Mountain Spruce Forest Dieback on Snow Accumulation and Melt

Bartík

Holko

Jančo

et al. 2018

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Similar findings from mountain spruce stands at the timberline were reported by Vacek et al (2010) andTreml et al (2012) from the Sudetes Mts. range and by Parobeková et al (2016) from the Low Tatras.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Growth responses to the above-mentioned environmental agents are sufficiently prompt to be a suitable indicator of forest ecosystem degradation (Godek et al 2015;Parobeková et al 2016). The impacts of ongoing climate changes have already been supported by empirical evidence from long-term permanent research plots that has indicated an increase in stand productivity in central and eastern Europe in the latest years (Hlásny et al 2014;Lindner et al 2014;Pretzsch et al 2014;Král et al 2015;Vacek et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Tree-ring widths as an indicator of air pollution stress and climate conditions in different Norway spruce forest stands in the Krkonoše Mts.

Putalová

Vacek

et al. 2019

Central European Forestry Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The negative effect of air pollution on mountain spruce stands culminated in the 70s – 90s of the 20th century, when an extensive dieback and disturbance of stands occurred in the Krkonoše Mts., the Czech Republic. Dendrochronological analysis was used on ten permanent research plots established in 1976–1980 to document the dynamics of radial increment of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.). The objective was to determine the effect of SO2, NOX and O3 concentrations and precipitation and temperatures on spruce radial growth in climax forests, waterlogged forests and cultivated forests. The results document the strong depression of diameter increment in the period 1979–1991 caused by synergism of climatic extremes and high SO2 pollution in the 80s and 90s of the 20th century. After 2000 climate had prevailing effect on radial growth. Spruce increment was in positive correlation with temperature, particularly with temperature in the growing season and annual temperature of the current year. In general, temperature had a more significant effect on increment than precipitation, mainly in climax and peaty spruce stands. Diameter increment was in significant negative correlation with SO2 and NOX concentrations in all types of stands. Overall, peaty spruce stands were the most vulnerable to air pollution stress. Low radial increments were caused also by climate extremes, historically by strong frosts and winter desiccation in early spring, nowadays in time of climatic changes by extreme drought. Spruce stands have the ability of quickly responding by tree-ring width to both negative and positive impulses related with air pollution and climate.

show abstract

“…Increased increment of European spruce after 1990 was determined in the Western Carpathians. This increment is explained by the frequency of disturbances in highland forests sensitive to the environmental changes (Parobekova et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radial increment in European spruce (Picea abies) as indicator of sanitary condition of spruce forests in the Ukrainian Carpathians

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In recent years, there has been an intense desiccation of spruce forests in the Ukrainian Carpathians, where European spruce is the main forest-forming species. Over the recent years, desiccation has spread to the spruce forest stands which grow in the Carpathians at the height of over 1,000 m above the sea level. This process causes large economic losses, significant deterioration of the condition and productivity of the forests in the Carpathians, decrease in the level of provision of ecosystemic services by forests, functions they perform, therefore leading to dangerous exogenic processes (floods, freshets, erosion, mudflows, landslides). To determine the interaction between the radial increment and sanitary condition of the spruce stands and substantiate the measures of the use of drying spruce forests, in the Vysokohirsky forestry reserve district of the Ukrainian Carpathians in anti-erosion forests, in hotbeds of desiccation of spruce in 2018, dendrochronological surveys were undertaken in two monitoring plots in forests in weak and severely weakened condition. We collected cores from the model trees, measured width of the annual rings, and developed individual dendrochronologies according to the absolute values of the radial increments and generalized dendrochronologies according to the absolute values of the radial increments and increment indices of the duration of 97 (1921–2017) and 81 years (1937–2017). We conducted single-factor dispersion analysis, calculated the indices of abnormality of the radial increments and correlation coefficient. The results revealed that the lowest increments occurred in the years 1965–1990 in the weakened stand and in 1997–2017 in the severely weakened stand. The relative indices of the forests ranged 83.8–114.6%. The cycles of increment lasted 7–9 years. Over the last few decades, favourable conditions for the growth of the trees took place in 1991–2010, unfavourable in 2011–2017, very unfavourable in 1981–1990. Synchronicity of annual radial increments in the spruces of two monitoring plots equaled 49 years. Correlation coefficient indicates that the type of the conditions of growth location has a significant effect on its variability in the process of trees’ life cycle. Average radial increment of the weakened stand of trees over the last 10 years decreased by 7.9%, while it declined by 54.9% in the severely weakened stand compared with the average increments of the tree stands for the surveyed periods, suggesting that the forests undergo different stages of succession: the weakened stand undergoes the stage of recovery after disturbance, severely weakened forest – stage of disturbance. The studies revealed the dependence of radial increment of spruce on the sanitary condition of the forests. The results of the studies may be used for the assessment of dynamic processes in forest ecosystems as a result of the impact of various factors and planning of the forestry measures.

show abstract

Influence of disturbances and climate on high-mountain Norway spruce forests in the Low Tatra Mts., Slovakia

Cited by 13 publications

References 43 publications

Influence of Mountain Spruce Forest Dieback on Snow Accumulation and Melt

Influence of Mountain Spruce Forest Dieback on Snow Accumulation and Melt

Tree-ring widths as an indicator of air pollution stress and climate conditions in different Norway spruce forest stands in the Krkonoše Mts.

Radial increment in European spruce (Picea abies) as indicator of sanitary condition of spruce forests in the Ukrainian Carpathians

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About