Influence of Climate on the Growth of Oaks in Forest and Urban Sites : A Dendroclimatological Analysis
Forest management recognizes the selection of tree species as an essential aspect of climate change adaptation. Uncertainties exist, however, regarding the assessment of average and extreme climatic conditions to which tree species can adapt. This study discusses the feasibility of analyzing oak ( Quercus spp.) tree rings from urban habitats as a proxy for projected climate change effects on urban and forest tree stands. Therefore, the influence of climate on tree growth is compared between trees growing in forests and urban environments. Tree-ring samples from urban areas and a forest site were collected in Hamburg, northern Germany. Tree-ring analysis was used to investigate the correlation between temperature and precipitation patterns and oak growth. Pointer year analysis was applied to explore the causes of variations in ring width. The impact of drought events was examined by Superposed Epoch Analysis. The results indicate that urban trees are more vulnerable to drought stress than forest trees. Oak growth in both sites shows a significant correlation with climatic conditions in summer, while forest oak growth is also affected by winter temperatures. Pointer year analysis indicates drought as the main driver of reduced growth. However, no long-term impact of drought years was observed, as both urban and forest oaks showed a fast recovery in growth in the proceeding years. Moreover, the study demonstrates the viability of using urban tree rings for dendroclimatological analysis and offers an approach for tree species selection in urban and forest environments as a contribution to the adaptation of forests to future climate change
Year of publication: |
[2022]
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Authors: | Prado, Igor ; Gauli, Archana ; Köhl, Michael |
Publisher: |
[S.l.] : SSRN |
Saved in:
freely available
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