European beech stem diameter grows better in mixed than in mono-specific stands at the edge of its distribution in mountain forests

Pretzsch, Hans; Hilmers, Torben; Uhl, Enno; Bielak, Kamil; Bošeľa, Michal; Rı́o, Miren del; Dobor, Laura; Forrester, David I.; Nagel, Thomas A.; Pach, Maciej; Avdagić, Admir; Bellan, Michal; Binder, Franz; Bončina, Andrej; Bravo, Felipe; de-Dios-García, Javier; Dincă, Lucian; Drozdowski, Stanisław; Giammarchi, Francesco; Hoehn, Maria; Ibrahimspahić, Aida; Jaworski, Adam; Klopčić, Matija; Kurylyak, Viktor; Lévesque, Mathieu; Lombardi, Fabio; Matović, Bratislav; Ordóñez, Cristóbal; Petráš, Rudolf; Rubio-Cuadrado, Álvaro; Stojanović, Dejan; Skrzyszewski, Jerzy; Stajić, Branko; Svoboda, Miroslav; Versace, S.; Zlatanov, Tzvetan; Tognetti, Roberto

doi:10.1007/s10342-020-01319-y

Cited by 23 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 122 publications

(139 reference statements)

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“…Tree DBH reconstructed from Penteleu dendrochronological series was approximately linear, as also found in other similar studies [8,31,80]. Thus, radial growth is not particularly affected by tree age.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…The dendrochronological series analysis proved that silver fir and beech tend to have opposite behaviours in response to climate in mixed stands, while Norway spruce, displaying intermediate behaviour, tends to negatively correlate with the climate when beech correlations are positive. Having different ecological preferences and life traits, the beech-silver fir association in mixed stands is advantageous in terms of their ability to endure drought [13,17,31,33,82] and also because of their efficient light use [83,84]. There is also evidence that beech-Norway spruce mixed stands perform better than beech pure stands [13,33] due to the complementarity of the two species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even though mixed stands benefit from functional diversity [31], they are also sensitive to management and changes in environmental conditions [31]. Proven drivers of mixed forest change include temperature rises [16] and drought [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Past and Future of Temperate Forests State under Climate Change Effects in the Romanian Southern Carpathians

Chivulescu

García-Duro

Pitar

et al. 2021

Forests

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Research Highlights: Carpathian forests hold high ecological and economic value while generating conservation concerns, with some of these forests being among the few remaining temperate virgin forests in Europe. Carpathian forests partially lost their original integrity due to their management. Climate change has also gradually contributed to forest changes due to its modification of the environmental conditions. Background and Objectives: Understanding trees’ responses to past climates and forms of management is critical in foreseeing the responses of forests to future conditions. This study aims (1) to determine the sensitivity of Carpathian forests to past climates using dendrochronological records and (2) to describe the effects that climate change and management will have on the attributes of Carpathian forests, with a particular focus on the different response of pure and mixed forests. Materials and Methods: To this end, we first analysed the past climate-induced growth change in a dendrochronological reference series generated for virgin forests in the Romanian Curvature Carpathians and then used the obtained information to calibrate spatially explicit forest Landis-II models for the same region. The model was used to project forest change under four climate change scenarios, from mild to extreme. Results: The dendrochronological analysis revealed a climate-driven increase in forest growth over time. Landis-II model simulations also indicate that the amount of aboveground forest biomass will tend to increase with climate change. Conclusions: There are differences in the response of pure and mixed forests. Therefore, suitable forest management is required when forests change with the climate.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Past and Future of Temperate Forests State under Climate Change Effects in the Romanian Southern Carpathians

Chivulescu

García-Duro

Pitar

et al. 2021

Forests

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“…A peculiarity of mixed stands is that the spruce, fir, and beech can behave differently when compared to pure stands. In mixed stands, volume losses can be recorded in one species but compensated for by increasing the volumes of the other species [24][25][26]. The sites are more advantageous in such stands.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of the Productivity Potential of Mountain Sites (Mixed Beech-Coniferous Stands) in the Romanian Carpathians

Cicșa

Tudoran

Boroeanu

et al. 2021

Forests

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Research Highlights: This study highlighted the possibility of estimating the productivity of mountain sites (mixed beech-coniferous stands) based on tree and stand dendrometric characteristics. Background and Objectives: The mountainous region of Romania offers suitable conditions for the formation and development of mixed beech-coniferous stands with complex, multi-aged structures. Based on the dendrometric characteristics of the trees, established indicators were used to estimate the productivity of the sites, with other quantitative indicators being proposed to better capture the particularities of mixed multi-aged stands. Materials and Methods: To evaluate the productive potential of the sites, a combined in situ mapping method was applied. Laboratory analyses of soils, and information provided indirectly by indicator plant and tree overstories, led to the characterization of soil types and the identification of forest sites for study. The productivity of the sites was estimated using quantitative indicators established based on the dendrometric characteristics of the trees and stands. Results: Indicators based on stand production and growth are relevant for multi-aged stands of mixed beech-coniferous formation. The ratio between tree volume and the basal area is the result of basal area and height increments, both of which are variable and depend on the quality of the site. Thus, a form height stand can be used as an indicator to characterize the productivity of the site in mixed multi-aged stands. Conclusions: Knowing the ecological specificity of sites in the formation of mixed beech-coniferous forests is a first condition necessary to achieving stable stands that are able to continuously fulfill multiple functions. The favorability of forest sites for a certain assortment of species is a fundamental character of the sites, which is essential for the management of these forest formations.

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“…Recent studies showed that tree mixing of species often ( Brooks et al , 2002 ; Pretzsch et al , 2013 ) but not always ( Grossiord, 2020 ; Gillerot et al , 2020 ) facilitates tree growth in drought years, and that the mixing effects depend on the species identity and combination ( Pardos et al , 2021 ). However, how mixing modifies tree growth in the long term has been hardly addressed yet ( Pretzsch and Schütze, 2009 ; Thurm et al , 2017 ; Pretzsch et al , 2021 ); this is probably due to the rarity of long-term observations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree species mixing can increase stand productivity, density and growth efficiency and attenuate the trade-off between density and growth throughout the whole rotation

Pretzsch

Schütze

2021

Annals of Botany

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Background and Aims Many recent studies emphasize that mixed species is a promising silvicultural option for sustainable ecosystem management under uncertain and risky future environmental conditions. However, compared with monocultures, knowledge of mixed stands is still rather fragmentary. This comprehensive study analysed the most common Central European tree species combinations to determine the extent to which mono-layered species mixing (i) can increase stand productivity and stem diameter growth, (ii) increase stand density or growth efficiency, and (iii) reduce competition and attenuate the relationship between stand density and stem diameter growth compared with mono-specific stands. Methods The study was based on 63 long-term experimental plots in Germany with repeated spatially explicit stand inventories. They covered mono-specific and mixed species stands of Norway spruce (Picea abies), silver fir (Abies alba), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), European beech (Fagus sylvatica), sessile oak (Quercus petraea), European ash (Fraxinus excelsior), and sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus). Based on the spatially explicit measurement, we quantified for each tree the intra- or inter-specific neighbourhood, local stand density, and growth. We applied mixed models to analyse how inter-specific neighbourhoods modify stand productivity, stand density, growth efficiency, individual tree growth, and the tradeoff between individual tree growth and stand productivity. Key results We found stand productivity gains of 7 %–53 % of mixed vs. mono-specific stands continuing over the entire rotation. All mixtures achieved a 3-36 % higher leaf area index, LAI, until advanced stand age. Stem diameter growth increased by up to 31 % in mixed stands. The growth efficiency of the leaf area was up to 31 % higher, except in mixtures of sessile oak and European beech. The tradeoff between stem diameter growth and stand productivity was attenuated by the mixture. Conclusions The increased productivity was mainly based on a density increase in the case of Norway spruce/silver fir/European beech and sessile oak/European beech and it was based on a more efficient resource use given the same stand density in the case of Scots pine/European beech and European ash/sycamore maple. In the other species assemblages the increased productivity based on a combination of density and efficiency increase. We hypothesise that the density effect may be site-invariant and mainly depends on the structural species complementarity. The efficiency increase of growth may depend on the growth limiting factor that is remedied by mixture and thus be co-determined by the site conditions. For forest management, the results indicate increased stand and tree size growth by species mixing. For the common mixtures examined in this study applies that thinning for the acceleration of stem growth requires less density reduction and causes less stand growth losses than in monocultures. We show the consequences of our findings for silvicultural prescriptions for mixed-species stands.

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European beech stem diameter grows better in mixed than in mono-specific stands at the edge of its distribution in mountain forests

Cited by 23 publications

References 122 publications

Past and Future of Temperate Forests State under Climate Change Effects in the Romanian Southern Carpathians

Past and Future of Temperate Forests State under Climate Change Effects in the Romanian Southern Carpathians

Estimation of the Productivity Potential of Mountain Sites (Mixed Beech-Coniferous Stands) in the Romanian Carpathians

Tree species mixing can increase stand productivity, density and growth efficiency and attenuate the trade-off between density and growth throughout the whole rotation

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