Stand dynamics of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.)-European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests during the past century: a decline of silver fir?

In Europe, mixed mountain forests, primarily comprised of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), silver fir (Abies alba Mill.), and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), cover about 10 × 106 ha at elevations between ∼600 and 1600 m a.s.l. These forests provide invaluable ecosystem services. However, the growth of these forests and the competition among their main species are expected to be strongly affected by climate warming. In this study, we analyzed the growth development of spruce, fir, and beech in moist mixed mountain forests in Europe over the last 300 years. Based on tree-ring analyses on long-term observational plots, we found for all three species (i) a nondecelerating, linear diameter growth trend spanning more than 300 years; (ii) increased growth levels and trends, the latter being particularly pronounced for fir and beech; and (iii) an elevation-dependent change of fir and beech growth. Whereas in the past, the growth was highest at lower elevations, today’s growth is superior at higher elevations. This spatiotemporal pattern indicates significant changes in the growth and interspecific competition at the expense of spruce in mixed mountain forests. We discuss possible causes, consequences, and silvicultural implications of these distinct growth changes in mixed mountain forests.

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Benefits of Mixtures on Growth Performance of Silver Fir (Abies alba) and European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) Increase With Tree Size Without Reducing Drought Tolerance

Frontiers in Forests and Global Change ◽

10.3389/ffgc.2019.00079 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Julia A. Schwarz ◽

Jürgen Bauhus

Keyword(s):

Drought Tolerance ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Fagus Sylvatica ◽

Abies Alba ◽

European Beech ◽

Tree Size ◽

Silver Fir

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Changes of tree-ring delta13C and water-use efficiency of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in north-eastern France during the past century

Plant Cell & Environment ◽

10.1046/j.1365-3040.1998.00304.x ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 21 (6) ◽

pp. 565-572 ◽

Cited By ~ 139

Author(s):

A. Duquesnay ◽

N. Breda ◽

M. Stievenard ◽

J. L. Dupouey

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Fagus Sylvatica ◽

Past Century ◽

The Past ◽

North Eastern ◽

Fagus Sylvatica L ◽

Use Efficiency

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The productivity of mixed mountain forests comprised of Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies, and Abies alba across Europe

Forestry An International Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1093/forestry/cpz035 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 92 (5) ◽

pp. 512-522 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Torben Hilmers ◽

Admir Avdagić ◽

Leszek Bartkowicz ◽

Kamil Bielak ◽

Franz Binder ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Picea Abies ◽

Fagus Sylvatica ◽

Sustainable Forest Management ◽

Abies Alba ◽

European Beech ◽

Silver Fir ◽

Mountain Forests ◽

Mountain Areas

Abstract Mixed mountain forests of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst), and silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) cover a total area of more than 10 million hectares in Europe. Due to altitudinal zoning, these forests are particularly vulnerable to climate change. However, as little is known about the long-term development of the productivity and the adaptation and mitigation potential of these forest systems in Europe, reliable information on productivity is required for sustainable forest management. Using generalized additive mixed models this study investigated 60 long-term experimental plots and provides information about the productivity of mixed mountain forests across a variety of European mountain areas in a standardized way for the first time. The average periodic annual volume increment (PAI) of these forests amounts to 9.3 m3ha−1y−1. Despite a significant increase in annual mean temperature the PAI has not changed significantly over the last 30 years. However, at the species level, we found significant changes in the growth dynamics. While beech had a PAI of 8.2 m3ha−1y−1 over the entire period (1980–2010), the PAI of spruce dropped significantly from 14.2 to 10.8 m3ha−1y−1, and the PAI of fir rose significantly from 7.2 to 11.3 m3ha−1y−1. Consequently, we observed stable stand volume increments in relation to climate change.

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Species, live status, and diameter are important tree features for diversity and abundance of tree microhabitats in subnatural montane beech–fir forests1This article is one of a selection of papers from the International Symposium on Dynamics and Ecological Services of Deadwood in Forest Ecosystems.

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x2012-077 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 42 (8) ◽

pp. 1433-1445 ◽

Cited By ~ 62

Author(s):

Laurent Larrieu ◽

Alain Cabanettes

Keyword(s):

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Recursive Partitioning ◽

Abies Alba ◽

European Beech ◽

Silver Fir ◽

Mixed Stands ◽

Breast Height ◽

Fagus Sylvatica L ◽

Forest Managers ◽

Selection Of

Because quantitative data on the distribution of whole microhabitat sets are still lacking to indirectly assess taxonomic biodiversity in forests, we studied the distribution of seven key microhabitat types in 10 montane European beech ( Fagus sylvatica L.) – silver fir ( Abies alba Mill.) forests (Pyrénées, France) that had not been harvested for several decades. We examined 2105 live trees and 526 snags. Frequencies of cavities and dendrothelms were significantly higher on live beech than on fir. Sap runs were strictly found on live fir. Frequencies of cracks and saproxylic fungi were significantly higher on snags than on live trees. Seventy percent of live beeches but only 18% of firs carried one or more microhabitats. For both beech and fir and for each microhabitat type, we found, using the recursive partitioning method, one to three diameter thresholds that each corresponded to a significant change in the probability of microhabitat presence. When considering the whole microhabitat set, the most significant diameter thresholds were 42, 60, 73, and 89 cm for beech and 99 cm for fir. We suggest that forest managers conserve (i) mixed stands and (ii) beech with a diameter at breast height >90 cm and fir >100 cm. These rules should be adapted for each forest ecosystem.

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