scholarly journals Evidence of elevation-specific growth changes of spruce, fir, and beech in European mixed mountain forests during the last three centuries

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 689-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Pretzsch ◽  
Torben Hilmers ◽  
Peter Biber ◽  
Admir Avdagić ◽  
Franz Binder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Abies Alba ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Spatiotemporal Pattern ◽  
Silver Fir ◽  
Mountain Forests ◽  
Growth Trend ◽  
Dependent Change ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica L ◽  
Growth Changes

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.

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

2019 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
pp. 512-522 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Litterfall production and leaf area index in a virgin European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) – Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) forest

Dendrobiology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 83 ◽  
pp. 75-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ion Catalin Petritan ◽  
Victor-Vasile Mihăilă ◽  
Cosmin Ion Bragă ◽  
Marlène Boura ◽  
Diana Vasile ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area Index ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica ◽  
Abies Alba ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Silver Fir ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Litterfall Production ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica L

scholarly journals Tree-Related Microhabitats Follow Similar Patterns but are More Diverse in Primary Compared to Managed Temperate Mountain Forests

Ecosystems ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Asbeck ◽  
Daniel Kozák ◽  
Andreea P. Spînu ◽  
Martin Mikoláš ◽  
Veronika Zemlerová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Abies Alba ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Silver Fir ◽  
Mountain Forests ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
A Minor ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Primary Forests

AbstractThe impact of forest management on biodiversity is difficult to scrutinize along gradients of management. A step towards analyzing the impact of forest management on biodiversity is comparisons between managed and primary forests. The standardized typology of tree-related microhabitats (TreMs) is a multi-taxon indicator used to quantify forest biodiversity. We aim to analyze the influence of environmental factors on the occurrence of groups of TreMs by comparing primary and managed forests. We collected data for the managed forests in the Black Forest (Germany) and for the primary forests in the Western (Slovakia) and Southern Carpathians (Romania). To model the richness and the different groups of TreMs per tree, we used generalized linear mixed models with diameter at breast height (DBH), altitude, slope and aspect as predictors for European beech (Fagus sylvatica (L.)), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.)) and silver fir (Abies alba (Mill.)) in primary and managed temperate mountain forests. We found congruent results for overall richness and the vast majority of TreM groups. Trees in primary forests hosted a greater richness of all and specific types of TreMs than individuals in managed forests. The main drivers of TreMs are DBH and altitude, while slope and aspect play a minor role. We recommend forest and nature conservation managers to focus: 1) on the conservation of remaining primary forests and 2) approaches of biodiversity-oriented forest management on the selection of high-quality habitat trees that already provide a high number of TreMs in managed forests based on the comparison with primary forests.

Silver-fir (Abies alba MILL.) neighbors improve water relations of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), but do not affect N nutrition

Trees ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 337-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth-Kristina Magh ◽  
Michel Grün ◽  
Viola Elisa Knothe ◽  
Tobias Stubenazy ◽  
Javier Tejedor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Relations ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica ◽  
Abies Alba ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Silver Fir ◽  
N Nutrition ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica L

Different mixtures of Norway spruce, silver fir, and European beech modify competitive interactions in central European mature mixed forests

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 1577-1586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Bosela ◽  
Brian Tobin ◽  
Vladimír Šebeň ◽  
Rudolf Petráš ◽  
Guy R. Larocque
Keyword(s):  
Forest Ecology ◽  
Abies Alba ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Specific Yield ◽  
Silver Fir ◽  
Mixed Forests ◽  
Competition Indices

The influence of forest ecology and strategic planning has increased in importance to support the management of mixed-species forests to enhance biodiversity. However, little is known about competitive and facilitative interactions between trees and species in mixed fir–beech–spruce forests, mostly because of a lack of long-term experimental research. In the 1960s, long-term sample plots were established in the Western Carpathians to develop region-specific yield models. Trees in the plots were measured at 5- to 16-year intervals from 1967(69). In 2010, the positions of standing trees in all plots were identified spatially. Stump positions were also identified to record the coordinates of trees that had been removed or had died. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the applicability of widely used competition indices for mature fir–beech–spruce mixed forests and to test whether the tree competition zone changes among species and forest stands of different stocking densities. Results showed that the best competition index was based on the comparison of the basal area of competitors and the subject tree in the radius, which was defined as a function of stand density and species. In addition, beech was found to be a strong self-competitor, which was not the case for silver fir (Abies alba Mill.). Results suggest that simpler competition indices are better suited for such diverse forests, as more complex indices do not describe the competition interactions sufficiently well.

scholarly journals A prognosis for the impact of climate change on beech stand dynamics in the Polish and Ukrainian Roztoche region

2017 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-158
Author(s):  
Ihor Kozak ◽  
Barbara Typiak ◽  
Taras Parpan ◽  
Hanna Kozak
Keyword(s):  
Abies Alba ◽  
Time Span ◽  
Silver Fir ◽  
Representative Study ◽  
Beech Stand ◽  
Climatic Scenarios ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica L ◽  
Climate Cooling ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This study has been carried out in the Polish Roztoczański National Park and the Ukrainian Ravs’ke Roztochia Regional Landscape Park, both of which are part of the Roztoche region. In each of these two locations, representative study plots were established in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) stands occupying sites with similar environmental conditions. A longterm prognosis for the dynamics of the chosen beech stands were generated using the computer model FORKOME. The model was used to forecast stand developments for four climatic scenarios (warm-humid, warm-dry, cold-humid, cold-dry) covering a time span of 500 years. Our simulation results indicate that in the control scenario, beech stands were dominating and cyclical changes between beech and Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) may occur. In the scenarios with assumed climate warming, a decline of fir biomass and an increase of beech biomass, as compared to the control conditions, was noticed. In the scenario with assumed climate cooling, fir biomass increased for the duration of the investigated time span. To conclude, the application of the FORKOME model was found to be a useful tool for analyzing potential scenarios of long-term dynamics of beech stands in the Roztoche region in Poland and Ukraine.

scholarly journals Dendroclimatic study of a mixed spruce-fir-beech forest in the Czech Republic

Les/Wood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-32
Author(s):  
Tomáš Kolář ◽  
Petr Čermák ◽  
Miroslav Trnka ◽  
Eva Koňasová ◽  
Irena Sochová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Abies Alba ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Forest Growth ◽  
Silver Fir ◽  
Mixed Forests ◽  
Species Response

European forests are undergoing an important transition due to the current climate change, as monocultures are being gradually replaced by mixed forests. Understanding tree growth in mixed forests under a changing climate is challenging because of tree species’ adaptation and long-term forest planning. In this study, we evaluate the long-term behaviour of Norway spruce (Picea abies), silver fir (Abies alba) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica) from a low montane range at the Czech-Austrian border. Species-specific tree-ring width chronologies have revealed significantly decreasing growth trends since the 2000s. Temporally unstable climate–growth relationships showed an increasing negative effect of current growing season drought on spruce growth and a positive effect of dormant season temperature on fir and beech growth. Our results suggest that though species’ response to climate change differs in the mixed forest, growth reduction in the last years has been proved for all species, likely due to frequent climate extremes.

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