Microenvironmental effects on growth response of Pinus massoniana to climate at its northern boundary in the Tongbai Mountains,Central China

The Tongbai Mountains is an ecologically sensi-tive region and the northern boundary of Pinus massoniana Lamb.To analyze the effect of different microenvironments on tree growth response to climate factors,we developed standard chronologies for earlywood width(EWW),late-wood width(LWW),and total ring width(TRW)of P.massoniana at two sampling sites on slopes with different orientations,then analyzed characteristics of the chronolo-gies and their correlations with climate variables from five stations in the region and with a regional normalized differ-ence vegetation index(NDVI).Statistical results showed that the TRW/EWW/LWW chronology consistency and charac-teristics(mean sensitivity,signal to noise ratio,expressed population signal)for trees growing on the southeastern slope were much higher than for trees on the northeastern slope.Correlations indicated that temperature in current March and August has a significant positive effect on TRW/EWW/LWW formation,and the effect on the northeastern slope was weaker than on the southeastern slope.Compared to temperature,precipitation has more complicated effects on tree growth,but the effect on the northeastern slope was also generally weaker than on the southeastern slope.Step-wise linear regression analyses showed that temperature in August was the main limiting factor at the two sampling sites.Similarly,the response of tree growth on the southeast-ern slope as determined by the NDVI is better than on the northeastern slope,and the TRW/EWW/LWW chronologies for the southeastern slope explained over 50%of the total NDVI variances in June.Overall,the results indicate that the difference in the climate response of P.massoniana at two sampling sites is clearly caused by differences in the microenvironment,and such differences should be properly considered in future studies of forest dynamics and climate reconstructions.

RADIAL GROWTH OF HUASHAN PINE AND ITS RESPONSE TO CLIMATE

Huashan pine (Finus armandii Franch) is a poential species for dendroclimatic study. Ring-width cores were sampled for four stands of two sites from the eastern extreme of the Qinling Mountains. The ring-width chronologies developed in this study cover a maximum Period from A.D. 1359 t0 1992 and show high common chronology variance over the common period 1911-1960.All the chronologies are significantly correlated with all others, and the degree of correlation appears related to tree age. Response function analyses reveal that from 41 to 75 Percent of chronology variance can be accounted for by monthly mean air temperature and monthly total precipitation. A sufficiently strong correlation of ringwidth index with May and June rainfall and June temperature exists, implying soil moisture to be a limiting factor for Huashan pine growth. The association displayed by response diagrams between narrow rings, low precipitation, and high temperature during spring and early summer indicates a promising potential of ring widths for reconstruction of spring drought for the study area.

Climate forcing of tree growth in dry Afromontane forest fragments of Northern Ethiopia:evidence from multi-species responses

Background: Climate-induced challenge remains a growing concern in the dry tropics, threatening carbon sink potential of tropical dry forests. Hence, understanding their responses to the changing climate is of high priority to facilitate sustainable management of the remnant dry forests. In this study, we examined the long-term climate-growth relations of main tree species in the remnant dry Afromontane forests in northern Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to assess the dendrochronological potential of selected dry Afromontane tree species and to study the influence of climatic variables (temperature and rainfall) on radial growth. It was hypothesized that there are potential tree species with discernible annual growth rings owing to the uni-modality of rainfall in the region. Ring width measurements were based on increment core samples and stem discs collected from a total of 106 trees belonging to three tree species (Juniperus procera, Olea europaea p. cuspidate and Podocarpus falcatus). Thesubsp. collected samples were prepared, crossdated, and analyzed using standard dendrochronological methods. The formation of annual growth rings of the study species was verified based on successful crossdatability and by correlating tree-ring widths with rainfall. Results: The results showed that all the sampled tree species form distinct growth boundaries though differences in the distinctiveness were observed among the species. Positive and significant correlations were found between the tree-ring widths and rainfall, implying that rainfall plays a vital role in determining tree growth in the region. The study confirmed the formation of annual growth rings through successful crossdating, thus highlighted the potential applicability of dendroclimatic studies in the region. Conclusions: Overall, the results proved the strong linkage between tree-ring chronologies and climate variability in the study region, which further strengthens the potential of dendrochronological studies developing in Ethiopia, and also has great implications for further paleo-climatic reconstructions and in the restoration of degraded lands. Further knowledge on the growth characteristics of tree species from the region is required to improve the network of tree-ring data and quality of the chronology so as to successfully reconstruct historic environmental changes.

Tapping the tree-ring archive for studying effects of resin extraction on the growth and climate sensitivity of Scots pine

Background： In the German Democratic Republic（GDR）, resin tapping in Scots pine（Pinus sylvestris L.） forests was a major economic activity, and resin-tapped stands are frequently found up until this day. In this study, we investigate how the mechanical damage caused by resin tapping affects the growth and climate sensitivity of Scots pine using a dendroecological approach.Methods： Tree-ring samples were collected from resin-tapped and non-tapped trees in two forest areas in northeastern Germany, and tree-growth patterns were analyzed. For elucidating effects of resin tapping on the climate sensitivity of pine growth, climate-growth relationships and pointer years were studied.Results： We observed that resin tapping positively affects tree growth at breast height, likely as wood formation is concentrated on the living part of the bole（i.e. after tapping there is no growth taking place on the tapping face due to the mechanical damage done to the cambium）. We observed no differences in the climate sensitivity of tapped and non-tapped trees, nor in the occurrence of extreme growth responses.Conclusion： Our results highlight that resin extraction is, apart from inflicting mechanical damage, not altering the sensitivity of Scots pine growth to climatic conditions.

Environmental control of daily stem radius increment in the montane conifer Cedrus libani

Growth response of conifers is species-specific and depends on site and climate conditions.Studies on daily radial stem growth use different analytical approaches to determine species reactions to environmental conditions.These results contribute to improve forecasts of tree growth under a changing climate.During 2013 and2014,radial stem growth of 33 mature Cedrus libani individuals growing under different climatic conditions in Turkey and Germany was monitored hourly using high precision point dendrometers.Stem radius increments(SRI)were extracted from dendrometer readings.The annual course of SRI showed site-specific patterns with mean daily values ranging between 9.9 and 29.3μm over the growing season.Correlation and principal component analyses indicated that humidity and low temperatures during the growing season favored SRI.Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that precipitation and relative air humidity were the most important factors influencing daily SRI.Climate-growth relationships were further evaluated using the regression tree method.Precipitation was the most significant factor on daily SRI for all sites.The close coupling of SRI to relative air humidity and precipitation underlines the importance of stem water status for radial stem growth of C.libani which is native to regions with summer drought.It further explains the superior growth of C.libani in Germany.

Drought sensitivity of beech on a shallow chalk soil in northeastern Germany - a comparative study

Background： We compare the climate sensitivity of European beech （Fagus sylvatica L.） in two forest nature reserves in northeastern Germany. The one reserve, Schlossberg, is characterized by shallow chalk soils, whereas in the other reserve, EIdena, soils are deeper and more developed. Little is known about the drought sensitivity of beech on shallow chalk soils. Methods： We collected increment cores at both research sites and established climate-growth relationships. Inter- tree variability was assessed by employing linear mixed-effect models. Results： We expected to find distinctively higher drought sensitivity at Schlossberg due to limited water availability, but find only marginal differences in growth responses. At both sites, drought is the major climatic factor driving tree growth. Adaptations in tree architecture and an underestimation of the water holding capacity of shallow chalk soils are discussed as possible reasons for not finding more distinct climate responses. In analyzing climate-growth relationships, we specifically focused on growth responses of individual trees but observed only low inter-tree variability at both sites. Evident is a shift in climate response patterns from the first to the second half of the twentieth century with previous-year drought conditions becoming more important than current-year drought. This shift is discussed in relation to a warming trend over that same period, as well as possible trends in masting behavior of beech. Conclusion： The investigated beech trees on the shallow chalk soil are only slightly more drought sensitive than beech trees on the reference site with deeper and more developed soils.

Difference in Tree Growth Responses to Climate at the Upper Treeline: Qilian Juniper in the Anyemaqen Mountains

Three ring-width chronologies were developed from Qilian Juniper （Sabina przewalskii Kom.） at the upper treeline along a west-east gradient in the Anyemaqen Mountains. Most chronological statistics, except for mean sensitivity （MS）, decreased from west to east. The first principal component （PC1） Ioadings indicated that stands in a similar climate condition were most important to the variability of radial growth. PC2 Ioadings decreased from west to east, suggesting the difference of tree-growth between eastern and western Anyemaqen Mountains. Correlations between standard chronologies and climatic factors revealed different climatic influences on radial growth along a west-east gradient in the study area. Temperature of warm season （July-August） was important to the radial growth at the upper treeline in the whole study area. Precipitation of current May was an important limiting factor of tree growth only in the western （drier） upper treeline, whereas precipitation of current September limited tree growth in the eastern （wetter） upper treeline. Response function analysis results showed that there were regional differences between tree growth and climatic factors in various sampling sites of the whole study area. Temperature and precipitation were the important factors influencing tree growth in western （drier） upper treeline. However, tree growth was greatly limited by temperature at the upper treeline in the middle area, and was more limited by precipitation than temperature in the eastern （wetter） upper treeline.