Temperature effect on size distributions in spruce-fir-beech mixed stands across Europe

Abstract

Forest composed of Picea abies L., Abies alba Mill. and Fagus sylvatica L. cover a large area in the European mountain regions and have a high ecological and socio-economic importance as they supply many ecosystems services. Because of climate change, these forests are exposed to warming, and this effect increases with elevation, which may impact their delivery of goods and services. Previous studies did not find significant changes in the overall productivity of these species over the last 30 years, but they observed changes in species competitiveness at the species and tree levels.In this study, we aimed to link previous results on tree, species and stand level growth in spruce-fir-beech mixed mountain forests by analysing species size distribution dynamics under different climate conditions and their effect on stand growth. We developed a matrix model based on data from 76 long-term experimental plots distributed throughout Europe. We used the change in stand basal area to explore whether temperature modifies species size dominances and proportions, whether the temperature effects on changes in species basal area depend on species size dominance, and whether the effect of species size dominance on changes in the stand basal area varies with temperature.Our results showed that annual mean temperature is an important climatic driver of species dynamics in spruce-fir-beech mixed mountain forests, such that stand basal area growth was favored by higher temperatures, particularly due to positive responses of silver fir which were greater than negative effects of temperature on European beech. The high temperatures also favored the size-dominance of silver fir, while European beech tended to have smaller diameters, independent of the temperature. We also found that the identity of the sizedominant species also influenced changes in stand basal area, with the highest or the lowest changes when Norway spruce and European beech were the size-dominant species, respectively. Silver fir was less influenced by the identity of the size-dominant species than by temperature.

Soil and climate-dependent ingrowth inference: broadleaves on their slow way to conquer Swiss forests

“…Our findings confirmed previous findings depicting the effects of environmental factors on ingrowth (Klopcic et al, 2012;Li et al, 2011;Zell et al, 2019). For instance, increasing temperatures led to lower numbers of ingrowth trees due to temperature-induced stress, to a higher share of broadleaves, potentially even in alpine regions (Condés et al, 2022), and finally to higher dbh rates in maple, ash, and other broadleaves. Solar radiation emerges as a statistically significant positive driver of the number of ingrowth trees, likely because it leads to more light and energy resources.…”

Recruitment of European beech, Norway spruce and silver fir in uneven-aged forests: optimal and critical stand, site and climatic conditions

“…As early as in the 19th century researchers reported that a mean annual temperature over 7.5 °C is not favorable for spruce (Schmidt-Vogt, 1977: 466). Beech is much more sensitive to low temperatures compared to spruce and negatively influenced by higher mean annual temperature (Condés et al, 2022). The positive effect of precipitation between two censuses (PCPPSP) on recruitment of beech and spruce indicates that a precipitation deficit not only affects the growth of adult trees (Mazza et al, 2014;Rohner et al, 2018;Felton et al, 2021), but also has a weak effect on recruitment.…”

Improving the Site Index and Stand Basal Area Model of Picea asperata Mast. by Considering Climate Effects

“…Due to its high stability and predictability, research on the growth model of the stand basal area is a central focus in the modeling of stand measurement factors [4,5]. The stand basal area, intimately linked to species and stand productivity [6], is widely employed in estimating the dynamic changes in forest structure and resources and forms the foundation for formulating forest management plans [7].…”

“…The climate exerts a significant influence on forest growth [6,30]. It impacts crucial physiological and phenological processes in trees [31,32], leading to shifts in species distribution, forest composition, and productivity [33,34].…”

“…It impacts crucial physiological and phenological processes in trees [31,32], leading to shifts in species distribution, forest composition, and productivity [33,34]. A better understanding of the relationship between tree growth and the climate may aid in forecasting the potential impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems [6,35]. Some researchers have demonstrated that the site index is influenced by environmental factors and forest management [36,37], while in the current scenario, changes in climatic conditions introduce uncertainty in estimating site quality [38].…”