Effects of Climate Change on Tree-Ring Growth

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 August 2024) | Viewed by 6020

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Forestry, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
Interests: climate modeling; tree-ring analysis; tree growth; climate dynamics; climatology

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Guest Editor
Institute of Geographic Resources and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: ecosystem ecology; forest ecology; climate change

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Guest Editor
College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Interests: treeline ecotone; dendroecology; alpine shrub; climate warming; Tibetan Plateau
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Guest Editor
Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Interests: tree-ring isotopes; climate change; climate reconstruction
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forest dynamics have shown pervasive shifts in a changing world. Climate change can cause tree growth decline and high tree mortality across global forests. Tree-ring growth response to climate change determines whether tree species have high tree mortality in this changing world. We would like to invite contributions on the effects of climate change on tree-ring growth. Contributions to this Special Issue are invited that explore all aspects of tree-ring studies that are related to:

  • Forest carbon dynamics and climate change;
  • Climate-change-induced tree-line movement, insect outbreaks, or forest dynamics with tree rings;
  • Response and adaptation of tree or shrub growth to climate change;
  • Tree-ring based past climate reconstruction;
  • Wood anatomy of tree rings, tree growth monitoring, and climate change;
  • Fusing tree‐ring and forest inventory data
  • Linking remote sensing and dendrochronology

Prof. Dr. Xianliang Zhang
Dr. Liang Shi
Dr. Yafeng Wang
Prof. Dr. Qiang Li
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • tree-ring
  • dendroecology
  • stable isotopes
  • extreme climate events
  • drought
  • forest growth
  • climate changes

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 9110 KiB  
Article
Witness of the Little Ice Age—One of the Oldest Spruces in Poland (Śnieżnik Massif, Sudetes, SW Poland)
by Anna Cedro, Bernard Cedro, Ryszard Krzysztof Borówka, Daniel Okupny, Paweł Osóch, Krzysztof Stefaniak, Bronisław Wojtuń, Marek Kasprzak, Urszula Ratajczak-Skrzatek, Paweł Kmiecik, Krzysztof Rusinek, Martin Jiroušek, Vítězslav Plášek, Anna Hrynowiecka and Adam Michczyński
Forests 2024, 15(6), 986; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15060986 - 5 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1519
Abstract
During an interdisciplinary study of the mire “Torfowisko pod Małym Śnieżnikiem”, a very old specimen of the Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) was encountered. The aim of the present work was to perform a detailed examination of this tree, to compare it [...] Read more.
During an interdisciplinary study of the mire “Torfowisko pod Małym Śnieżnikiem”, a very old specimen of the Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) was encountered. The aim of the present work was to perform a detailed examination of this tree, to compare it to other spruce trees on the mire, and to provide support for establishing protection for this tree stand. Tree ring cores were sampled at 1.3 m above ground using a Pressler borer, in two field campaigns: June and July 2023, the latter campaign aiming to find the oldest trees. A total of 46 trees were sampled, yielding 84 measured radii. Tree ring widths were measured down to 0.01 mm under a stereomicroscope. The oldest sampled tree yielded a total of 370 tree rings in the two radii, representing the period 1653–2022. The average tree ring width for this oldest tree equals 0.33 mm/year, and shows low values (on average 0.19 mm/year) for the period 1742–1943, i.e., during the Little Ice Age cooling. Changes in the tree ring width coincide with periods of cooling and warming in the nearby Tatra Mountains. The oldest tree does not stand out from other trees from the population with respect to height or trunk diameter. A comparison of the age of this tree to the oldest spruce trees in Poland indicates that it is one of the longest living specimens of this species. Considering the natural character of the stand, the remaining flora, and the peat-forming processes taking place within the mire “Pod Małym Śnieżnikiem”, we argue that the mire should become protected by the law as soon as possible in order to preserve this valuable high mountain habitat. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Climate Change on Tree-Ring Growth)
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16 pages, 6102 KiB  
Article
Growth Rings in Nine Tree Species on a Neotropical Island with High Precipitation: Coco Island, Costa Rica
by Róger Moya, Carolina Tenorio and Luis Acosta-Vargas
Forests 2024, 15(5), 885; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15050885 - 19 May 2024
Viewed by 949
Abstract
Coco Island, located 530 km off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, experiences rainfall of over 7000 mm/year. This study aims to explore the distinctiveness of the growth ring boundaries and the dendrochronological potential (DP) of nine tree species found on Coco Island. [...] Read more.
Coco Island, located 530 km off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, experiences rainfall of over 7000 mm/year. This study aims to explore the distinctiveness of the growth ring boundaries and the dendrochronological potential (DP) of nine tree species found on Coco Island. The distinctiveness was classified into type 1: density variation; type 2: marginal parenchyma; type 3: fiber/parenchyma pattern; type 4: vessel distribution, and type 5: fiber band. Cecropia pittieri and Henriettella fascicularis lacked growth ring boundaries and, therefore, did not present any DP. Growth ring type 1 occurred in Ardisia compressa, Henriettea succosa, Henriettella odorata, and Psychotria cocosensis. Ocotea insularis and Sacoglottis holdridgei exhibited type 5 growth rings, with sufficient distinctiveness. Finally, Eugenia pacifica possessed growth rings of type 3 and type 4, but with limited distinctiveness in the growth ring boundary. In relation to DP, A. compressa, E. pacifica, and P. cocosensis presented low DP; meanwhile, H. succosa, H. odorata, O. insularis, and S. holdridgei demonstrated medium DP. If these species are found in abundance with a diameter exceeding 60 cm, a cross-dating technique like bomb-spike dating is established to confirm the annual growth of the ‘bands’. As these species exhibit some DP, they can be used to establish a chronology spanning 50–130 years, which could be utilized to create climate proxies or derive ecologically and climatically meaningful information. Additionally, the information presented could pave the way for future studies of sites that also have very high rainfall, where trees are presumed to lack annual growth rings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Climate Change on Tree-Ring Growth)
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13 pages, 3232 KiB  
Article
Solar and Climatic Factors Affecting Tree-Ring Growth of Mountain Birch (Betula pubescens) beyond the Northern Timberline on Kola Peninsula, Northwestern Russia
by Oleg I. Shumilov, Elena A. Kasatkina and Evgeniy O. Potorochin
Forests 2024, 15(1), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15010037 - 23 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1300
Abstract
A 105-year chronology (AD 1917–2021) was developed from mountain birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) from beyond the coniferous treeline on the Kola Peninsula in Northwestern Russia (68.86 N, 34.69 E). A total of 22 trees were cored, including the oldest living mountain birch [...] Read more.
A 105-year chronology (AD 1917–2021) was developed from mountain birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) from beyond the coniferous treeline on the Kola Peninsula in Northwestern Russia (68.86 N, 34.69 E). A total of 22 trees were cored, including the oldest living mountain birch of 105 years old. The highest correlations occurred for the May temperature (r = 0.39, p < 0.01) and July sunshine duration (r = −0.39, p < 0.05). The increase in radial growth in May seemed to be caused by snowmelt giving rise to soil temperature, which can lead to a resumption in radial growth after winter dormancy. The negative correlation with the July sunshine duration seemed to be connected to changes in the spectral composition of solar radiation in the red to far-red ratio in the end of the polar day in July. The application of wavelet coherency revealed a significant (>95%) connection between the radial growth of B. pubescens, and solar activity in frequency bands encompassed the main solar cycles: 5.5 years (the second harmonic of the Schwabe cycle), 11 years (the Schwabe cycle) and 22 years (the Hale cycle). The results show that the northernmost birch trees in Europe are suited for tree-ring research. This allows us to expand the area of dendrochronological research further beyond the conifer treeline above the Polar Circle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Climate Change on Tree-Ring Growth)
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14 pages, 3116 KiB  
Article
Radial Growth–Climate Relationship Varies with Spatial Distribution of Schima superba Stands in Southeast China’s Subtropical Forests
by Shaowei Jiang, Xiali Guo, Ping Zhao and Hanxue Liang
Forests 2023, 14(7), 1291; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14071291 - 22 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1484
Abstract
To understand the impact of climate change on the tree radial growth in Southeast China’s subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest, comparative research on the radial growth–climate associations of Schima superba was conducted. This dominant evergreen broadleaved tree species was examined at both its southern [...] Read more.
To understand the impact of climate change on the tree radial growth in Southeast China’s subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest, comparative research on the radial growth–climate associations of Schima superba was conducted. This dominant evergreen broadleaved tree species was examined at both its southern and northern distribution margins through dendroclimatology. The results showed that the radial growth of S. superba stands at a high elevation in the southern margin and stands in the northern margin were positively correlated with springtime temperatures, mostly in April (e.g., mean temperature: r = 0.630, p < 0.05) and May (e.g., maximum temperature: r = 0.335, p < 0.05), respectively. Meanwhile, the temperature in the late rainy season had a significant negative effect on the radial growth of S. superba stands in the southern margin, including high-elevation stands (e.g., the mean temperature in previous and current September: r = −0.437 and −0.383, p < 0.05) and low-elevation stands (e.g., the mean temperature in previous August and October: r = −0.577 and −0.348, p < 0.05). It was shown that temperature was the key climatic factor affecting the radial growth of S. superba, and the response of radial growth to temperature had obvious spatial differences. The findings indicate that the radial growth of S. superba stands in warm growth environments will be negatively impacted by future climate warming. On the contrary, the radial growth of S. superba stands growing in relatively cold growth environments may benefit from warmer spring. The results enhance the understanding of tree growth responses to climate change in the subtropical forests of China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Climate Change on Tree-Ring Growth)
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