Declines in northern forest tree growth following snowpack decline and soil freezing

Reinmann, Andrew B.; Susser, Jessica R.; Demaria, E. M.; Templer, Pamela H.

doi:10.1111/gcb.14420

Cited by 54 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…The study site on the Helderberg plateau has a cool microclimate, and there is usually an insulating mid-winter snowpack, although it became less consistent in recent years (Anne Rhoads, personal communication). Nevertheless, there is vanishingly low probability of an insulating mid-winter snowpack persisting by the end of the 21st century in the region, and loss of the snowpack may exacerbate growth declines [55]. Our findings were consistent with the expectation of declining sugar maple growth under ongoing climatic change.…”

Section: Climate and Growthsupporting

confidence: 84%

Competition, Climate, and Size Effects on Radial Growth in an Old-Growth Hemlock Forest

Bigelow

Runkle

Oswald

2019

Forests

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Research Highlights: We applied neighborhood and dendro-ecological methods in a stand with a 33-year record of forest dynamics, finding that growth will decrease for several species under predicted climate trends. Background and Objectives: Conventional tree-ring analysis removes the influence of competition and size on growth, precluding assessment of the relative influence of these factors. An old-growth eastern hemlock forest in east–central New York was mapped in 1978 and was measured at eight-year intervals since then. Our objective was to use these data to examine the influence of climate, neighborhood, and tree size on radial growth. Materials and Methods: We evaluated an array of climatic indices to find which ones had the strongest influence on radial growth from increment cores of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis L.), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britton), and sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). We used the strongest climatic indices in combination with neighborhood and target-tree size information to create growth models for the three tree species. Results: Size accounted for 2% to 21% of observed growth; the shade-tolerant sugar maple and eastern hemlock grew fastest when large, but the mid-tolerant yellow birch grew fastest when small. Competition accounted for 9% to 21% of growth; conifers had a weaker competitive effect than deciduous trees, and eastern hemlock was less sensitive to competition than sugar maple and yellow birch. Climate accounted for only 2% of growth variation; eastern hemlock showed a positive response to warming climate trends, but yellow birch and sugar maple showed negative responses. Conclusions: Predicted climate trends are likely to result in decreased growth of sugar maple and yellow birch, and the sensitivity of these species to competition suggests the effect will be exacerbated when they grow in crowded conditions.

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Section: Climate and Growthsupporting

confidence: 84%

Competition, Climate, and Size Effects on Radial Growth in an Old-Growth Hemlock Forest

Bigelow

Runkle

Oswald

2019

Forests

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“…A recent study by Weigel et al (2018) reports a relationship of beech growth reductions and winter cold that was enhanced towards cold-marginal populations. Furthermore, Weigel (2019) conducted a winter manipulation experiment in beech forests in northern Germany and Poland that shows winter cold, through sublethal root damage or reduced root nutrient uptake, affects beech growth negatively, a finding that is also supported by results presented in Reinmann, Susser, Demaria, and Templer (2019). In the context of our study, this finding could indicate that winter soil warming was more important in the early period and is becoming less important with recent climate warming ( Figure S6).…”

Section: Unstable Growth Responses To Winter Climatesupporting

confidence: 79%

Tree growth influenced by warming winter climate and summer moisture availability in northern temperate forests

Harvey

Smiljanić

Scharnweber

et al. 2020

Global Change Biology

137

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The role of future forests in global biogeochemical cycles will depend on how different tree species respond to climate. Interpreting the response of forest growth to climate change requires an understanding of the temporal and spatial patterns of seasonal climatic influences on the growth of common tree species. We constructed a new network of 310 tree‐ring width chronologies from three common tree species (Quercus robur, Pinus sylvestris and Fagus sylvatica) collected for different ecological, management and climate purposes in the south Baltic Sea region at the border of three bioclimatic zones (temperate continental, oceanic, southern boreal). The major climate factors (temperature, precipitation, drought) affecting tree growth at monthly and seasonal scales were identified. Our analysis documents that 20th century Scots pine and deciduous species growth is generally controlled by different climate parameters, and that summer moisture availability is increasingly important for the growth of deciduous species examined. We report changes in the influence of winter climate variables over the last decades, where a decreasing influence of late winter temperature on deciduous tree growth and an increasing influence of winter temperature on Scots pine growth was found. By comparing climate–growth responses for the 1943–1972 and 1973–2002 periods and characterizing site‐level growth response stability, a descriptive application of spatial segregation analysis distinguished sites with stable responses to dominant climate parameters (northeast of the study region), and sites that collectively showed unstable responses to winter climate (southeast of the study region). The findings presented here highlight the temporally unstable and nonuniform responses of tree growth to climate variability, and that there are geographical coherent regions where these changes are similar. Considering continued climate change in the future, our results provide important regional perspectives on recent broad‐scale climate–growth relationships for trees across the temperate to boreal forest transition around the south Baltic Sea.

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“…In contrast, at the northeastern margin of the distribution range, beech growth was found to be sensitive to severe winter frost (Augustaitis et al, 2016), though studies on frost sensitivity of beech at its cold distribution margin are still rare (Weigel et al, 2018). An increased cold sensitivity and growth decline at the northern margin might be due to a reduced nutrient uptake induced by fine-root die-off during extreme cold events and reduced root activity in cold soils (Reinmann, Susser, Demaria, & Templer, 2019;Sanders-DeMott, Sorensen, Reinmann, & Templer, 2018;Schenker, Lenz, Körner, & Hoch, 2014). Moreover, Malyshev, Henry, Bolte, Arfin Khan, and Kreyling (2018) found no differences in winter dormancy and budburst forcing requirements in a common garden experiment among beech populations along a gradient from the centre towards the northeastern distribution margin, hinting at the absence of local adaptation towards the cold distribution margin.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Lowest drought sensitivity and decreasing growth synchrony towards the dry distribution margin of European beech

Muffler

Weigel

Hacket‐Pain

et al. 2020

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim Climate limits the potential distribution ranges of species. Establishment and growth of individuals at range margins is assumed to be more limited by extreme events such as drought or frost events than in the centre of their range. We explore whether the growth of beech is more sensitive to drought towards the dry distribution margin and more sensitive to frost towards the cold distribution margin. Furthermore, we aim to gain insight into the adaptive potential of beech towards both the dry and cold distribution margins. Location European gradient from the dry (Spain) to the cold (Poland, Sweden) distribution margin of beech. Taxon European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). Methods We applied a range‐wide dendroecological study to analyse spatial and temporal trends in climate–growth relationships. We further investigated negative growth anomalies and growth synchrony towards the range margins. Results We found beech to be drought sensitive across its whole range, except at the dry distribution margin. Furthermore, sensitivity to winter temperature was not found in the centre or at the cold distribution margin, but at the southern distribution margin. Growth synchrony was lower at the dry than at the cold distribution margin. Main conclusions Beech seems to be adapted to drought at the dry distribution margin with a high adaptive potential indicated by the lowest growth synchrony along the gradient. At the cold distribution margin, cold events in winter and spring were less important for growth than drought. Still, the importance of spring frost for beech growth appears to increase in recent decades. Considering a projected north‐eastward shift of the distribution range, beech is likely facing drought stress in combination with spring frost risk at the cold margin which could lead to a hampered range expansion.

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Declines in northern forest tree growth following snowpack decline and soil freezing

Cited by 54 publications

References 50 publications

Competition, Climate, and Size Effects on Radial Growth in an Old-Growth Hemlock Forest

Competition, Climate, and Size Effects on Radial Growth in an Old-Growth Hemlock Forest

Tree growth influenced by warming winter climate and summer moisture availability in northern temperate forests

Lowest drought sensitivity and decreasing growth synchrony towards the dry distribution margin of European beech

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