Acidic Deposition and Tree Growth: I. The Use of Stem Analysis to Study Historical Growth Patterns

We report on a stem analysis plotting program (SAPP) specifically designed for automated tree ring measurement and computer graphic facilities. Growth patterns of individual trees are reconstructed using annual ring widths measured at length intervals along the bole. The program generates detailed charts showing radial ring sequences; growth layer profiles; annual height increment/age, height/age, height/dbh, volume/age and specific volume/age relationships; and MAI and CAI volume development to facilitate graphical comparisons of tree growth performance. Keywords: computer graphics, automated ring measurement, tree growth measurement, site evaluation.

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Comparison of the Radial Growth Response of Picea crassifolia to Climate Change in Different Regions of the Central and Eastern Qilian Mountains

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12081015 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 1015

Author(s):

Xuan Wu ◽

Liang Jiao ◽

Dashi Du ◽

Changliang Qi ◽

Ruhong Xue

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Central Region ◽

Radial Growth ◽

Growing Season ◽

Qilian Mountains ◽

Growth Patterns ◽

Total Precipitation ◽

Picea Crassifolia ◽

The Qilian Mountains

It is important to explore the responses of radial tree growth in different regions to understand growth patterns and to enhance forest management and protection with climate change. We constructed tree ring width chronologies of Picea crassifolia from different regions of the Qilian Mountains of northwest China. We used Pearson correlation and moving correlation to analyze the main climate factors limiting radial growth of trees and the temporal stability of the growth–climate relationship, while spatial correlation is the result of further testing the first two terms in space. The conclusions were as follows: (1) Radial growth had different trends, showing an increasing followed by a decreasing trend in the central region, a continuously increasing trend in the eastern region, and a gradually decreasing trend in the isolated mountain. (2) Radial tree growth in the central region and isolated mountains was constrained by drought stress, and tree growth in the central region was significantly negatively correlated with growing season temperature. Isolated mountains showed a significant negative correlation with mean minimum of growing season and a significant positive correlation with total precipitation. (3) Temporal dynamic responses of radial growth in the central region to the temperatures and SPEI (the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index) in the growing season were unstable, the isolated mountains to total precipitation was unstable, and that to SPEI was stable. The results of this study suggest that scientific management and maintenance plans of the forest ecosystem should be developed according to the response and growth patterns of the Qinghai spruce to climate change in different regions of the Qilian Mountains.

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COMPLEXITY MAPS REVEAL CLUSTERS IN NEURONAL ARBORIZATIONS

Fractals ◽

10.1142/s0218348x94000363 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 02 (02) ◽

pp. 297-301

Author(s):

B. DUBUC ◽

S. W. ZUCKER ◽

M. P. STRYKER

Keyword(s):

Computer Vision ◽

Fractal Dimension ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Local Structure ◽

Dendritic Tree ◽

Local Information ◽

Growth Patterns ◽

Rate Of Growth ◽

Local Complexity ◽

Formal Definitions

A central issue in characterizing neuronal growth patterns is whether their arbors form clusters. Formal definitions of clusters have been elusive, although intuitively they appear to be related to the complexity of branching. Standard notions of complexity have been developed for point sets, but neurons are specialized "curve-like" objects. Thus we consider the problem of characterizing the local complexity of a "curve-like" measurable set. We propose an index of complexity suitable for defining clusters in such objects, together with an algorithm that produces a complexity map which gives, at each point on the set, precisely this index of complexity. Our index is closely related to the classical notions of fractal dimension, since it consists in determining the rate of growth of the area of a dilated set at a given scale, but it differs in two significant ways. First, the dilation is done normal to the local structure of the set, instead of being done isotropically. Second, the rate of growth of the area of this new set, which we named "normal complexity", is taken at a fixed (given) scale instead instead of around zero. The results will be key in choosing the appropriate representation when integrating local information in low level computer vision. As an application, they lead to the quantification of axonal and dendritic tree growth in neurons.

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Do Himalayan treelines respond to recent climate change? An evaluation of sensitivity indicators

Earth System Dynamics ◽

10.5194/esd-6-245-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 245-265 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

U. Schickhoff ◽

M. Bobrowski ◽

J. Böhner ◽

B. Bürzle ◽

R. P. Chaudhary ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Warming ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Growth Patterns ◽

Niche Modelling ◽

Ongoing Research ◽

Recent Climate Change ◽

Recent Climate ◽

Response Gradient

Abstract. Climate warming is expected to induce treelines to advance to higher elevations. Empirical studies in diverse mountain ranges, however, give evidence of both advancing alpine treelines and rather insignificant responses. The inconsistency of findings suggests distinct differences in the sensitivity of global treelines to recent climate change. It is still unclear where Himalayan treeline ecotones are located along the response gradient from rapid dynamics to apparently complete inertia. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge regarding sensitivity and response of Himalayan treelines to climate warming, based on extensive field observations, published results in the widely scattered literature, and novel data from ongoing research of the present authors. Several sensitivity indicators such as treeline type, treeline form, seed-based regeneration, and growth patterns are evaluated. Since most Himalayan treelines are anthropogenically depressed, observed advances are largely the result of land use change. Near-natural treelines are usually krummholz treelines, which are relatively unresponsive to climate change. Nevertheless, intense recruitment of treeline trees suggests a great potential for future treeline advance. Competitive abilities of seedlings within krummholz thickets and dwarf scrub heaths will be a major source of variation in treeline dynamics. Tree growth–climate relationships show mature treeline trees to be responsive to temperature change, in particular in winter and pre-monsoon seasons. High pre-monsoon temperature trends will most likely drive tree growth performance in the western and central Himalaya. Ecological niche modelling suggests that bioclimatic conditions for a range expansion of treeline trees will be created during coming decades.

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Acidic Deposition and Climate Warming as Drivers of Tree Growth in High-Elevation Spruce-Fir Forests of the Northeastern US

Frontiers in Forests and Global Change ◽

10.3389/ffgc.2019.00063 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jay W. Wason ◽

Colin M. Beier ◽

John J. Battles ◽

Martin Dovciak

Keyword(s):

Climate Warming ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Acidic Deposition ◽

High Elevation

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Tree growth patterns associated with extreme longevity: Implications for the ecology and conservation of primeval trees in Mediterranean mountains

Anthropocene ◽

10.1016/j.ancene.2019.100199 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. 100199 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Gianluca Piovesan ◽

Franco Biondi ◽

Michele Baliva ◽

Anna Dinella ◽

Luca Di Fiore ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Growth ◽

Growth Patterns ◽

Mediterranean Mountains ◽

Extreme Longevity

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Tree Growth and Wood Quality in Pure Vs. Mixed-Species Stands of European Beech and Calabrian Pine in Mediterranean Mountain Forests

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11010006 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 6 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Diego Russo ◽

Pasquale A. Marziliano ◽

Giorgio Macrì ◽

Giuseppe Zimbalatti ◽

Roberto Tognetti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Growth ◽

Mixed Model ◽

Linear Mixed Model ◽

Wood Quality ◽

European Beech ◽

Growth Patterns ◽

Mixed Species ◽

Area Index ◽

Mixture Effect ◽

Calabrian Pine

Mixed-species forests may deliver more forest functions and services than monocultures, as being considered more resistant to disturbances than pure stands. However, information on wood quality in mixed-species vs. corresponding pure forests is poor. In this study, nine plots grouped into three triplets of pure and mixed-species stands of European beech and Calabrian pine (three dominated by European beech, three dominated by Calabrian pine, and three mixed-species plots) were analysed. We evaluated tree growth and wood quality through dendrochronological approaches and non-destructive technologies (acoustic detection), respectively, hypothesizing that the mixture might improve the fitness of each species and its wood quality. A linear mixed model was applied to test the effects of exogenous influences on the basal area index (BAI) and the dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOEd). The recruitment period (Rp) was studied to verify whether wood quality was independent from stem radial growth patterns. Results showed that the mixture effect influenced both wood quality and BAI. In the mixed-species plots, for each species, MOEd values were significantly higher than in the corresponding pure stands. The mixture effect aligned MOEd values, making wood quality uniform across the different diameter classes. In the mixed-species plots, a significant positive relationship between MOEd and Rp, but also significantly higher BAI values than in the pure plots, were found for European beech, but not for Calabrian pine. The results suggest the promotion of mixing of European beech and Calabrian pine in this harsh environment to potentially improve both tree growth and wood quality.

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Tectonic influences on tree growth in northern Patagonia, Argentina: the roles of substrate stability and climatic variation

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x95-182 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 25 (10) ◽

pp. 1684-1696 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Thomas Kitzberger ◽

Thomas T. Veblen ◽

Ricardo Villalba

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Tree Mortality ◽

Synergistic Effects ◽

Climatic Variation ◽

Growth Patterns ◽

Great Earthquake ◽

Northern Patagonia ◽

South Central ◽

Substrate Stability

In northern Patagonia, Argentina, we examined the influences of climatic variation and inter-site variation in substrate stability on the dendroecological effects of earthquakes. In association with the great earthquake in 1960 centered off the coast of nearby Valdivia, Chile, extensive tree mortality occurred in northern Patagonia in Nothofagusdombeyi–Austrocedruschilensis stands on unstable debris fans. To examine the effects of the 1960 and earlier earthquakes on tree growth, we developed tree-ring chronologies from samples of the surviving A. chilensis on unstable debris fan sites and at adjacent nonfan sites of more stable substrates. For controlling the effects of regional climatic variation, we also produced a tree-ring chronology from this species in a more distant and undisturbed stand. Strong variations in tree-growth patterns on fan sites were associated with the historically documented major seismic events of south central Chile that occurred in 1737, 1751, 1837, and 1960. Tree-ring chronologies from nonfan sites (i.e., sites of greater substrate stability) showed much less response to these earthquakes. On the fan sites, strong growth suppressions were associated with the former three earthquakes, whereas strong releases followed the 1960 earthquake. The difference in response is explained by the occurrence of the 1960 earthquake during a period of drought, which in combination with the violent shaking of the ground, resulted in extensive tree mortality followed by growth releases of the survivors. However, severe droughts in the absence of earthquakes also can produce tree mortality and subsequent release of the survivors. Consequently, the synergistic effects of climatic variation and earthquake events must be carefully considered in developing records of both climatic variation and earthquakes.

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Extreme Growth Increments Reveal Local and Regional Climatic Signals in Two Pinus pinaster Populations

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2021.658777 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Joana Vieira ◽

Cristina Nabais ◽

Filipe Campelo

Keyword(s):

Tree Growth ◽

Pinus Pinaster ◽

Sand Dunes ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Growth Patterns ◽

Growth Responses ◽

Growth Increments ◽

Average Precipitation ◽

Serra Da Estrela

Tree rings are valuable proxies of past climate that allow inferring past growth responses to climate variability and extreme events, which is only possible considering that the relationship between tree growth and environmental conditions is linear and stable over time. However, in the last decades, divergent growth patterns have been observed in trees from the same forest stand, while unprecedented growth convergence was observed between trees from distant locations. Here, we use a new approach that considers convergent and divergent event years in two populations of Pinus pinaster Aiton in an altitudinal and oceanic-continental gradient to investigate what is triggering divergence and convergence in tree growth. The two study sites are Tocha (TCH), a plantation on sand dunes at low altitude near the ocean, and Serra da Estrela (SdE), a mountain plantation located at 1,100 m altitude, 100 km away from the ocean. The analysis of the climatic conditions in convergent growth years revealed that positive convergent growth was related to above average precipitation in previous winter and that negative convergent growth was related to below average precipitation during the growing season. Divergent growth revealed a temperature signal with warmer temperatures in spring promoting growth in SdE and growth reduction in TCH. Convergent growth was associated with a regional climatic signal, reinforcing the importance of precipitation in the Mediterranean region, and divergent growth to site conditions, revealing local adaptation. The information gathered in this study gives valuable insights on the response of P. pinaster to extreme climatic events, allowing for more adjusted management strategies of Mediterranean pine forests.

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Quantifying the effect of local shelter on tree growth patterns within upper treeline ecotones in the Bighorn Mountans of Wyoming.

10.32469/10355/62358 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Nathan Mackley

Keyword(s):

Spatial Pattern ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Growth Rates ◽

Growth Patterns ◽

Tree Regeneration ◽

Annual Growth ◽

Limiting Factor ◽

Spatial Pattern Analysis ◽

Tree Establishment ◽

Moisture Retention

On Bruce Mountain in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, the upper treeline ecotone has advanced upslope since 1970 and to the highest extent in at least the past 210 years. However, the mechanisms facilitating tree establishment and treeline advance during this time were distinctly different between north and south-facing slope aspects. Tree regeneration on the south-facing slope was predominantly confined to microsites in the sheltered lee of boulders where more shade, moisture retention, and protection from the wind exist. Trees on the north-facing slope colonized open alpine tundra and facilitated continued regeneration clustered in close proximity to these trees. Thus, while patterns of tree establishment and treeline advance are well understood, it remains unknown whether differences in tree growth exist between these two sites. This is relevant as other studies suggest that favorable climatic conditions for tree establishment do not correspond with periods of high annual growth rates for trees at upper treeline. The goal of this research was to determine whether distinct patterns of tree establishment influence annual growth rates of these trees. To address this, I calculated basal area increment (BAI) for all trees positioned above the upper forest border. Surprisingly, annual growth rates and corresponding BAI values were almost identical between sites since 1970. These results suggest that tree establishment may be more of a critical limiting factor to upper treeline advance than tree growth because consistent growth patterns were found irrespective of spatial pattern on opposite slope aspects. From spatial pattern analysis, tree establishment on the northern slope adheres to the known biological preferences for each of the treeline species; while the pattern of establishment on the southern slope is overridden by the availability of favorable sites (i.e. in the lee of boulders) providing needed shade and moisture retention. As the treeline is a temperature and moisture-limited ecotone, there are observed differences along the elevational gradient within the site and between species that grow open and have a higher drought tolerance compared to those that rely on shade and neighboring trees.

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