Search

Reaction wood formation, in particular compression wood in conifers, has often been used to date geomorphic events such as debris flows or snow avalanches. However, very little is known yet about the variations of tension wood formation and particularly cross‐sectional vessel characteristics in response to different mechanical impacts. To test whether different intensities and characteristic forms of tension wood formation induce the formation of vessels with changing sizes, growth experiments with different treatments were conducted with alder and beech followed by wood anatomical analysis of the vessels. The experiments comprised bending treatments of varying severities in combination with cambium wounding and other alterations. The treatments were successful in inducing different intensities in tension wood expressed by variations of vessel lumen area (VLA). An increasing bending stress resulted in the formation of lower VLA values. When the apex or the root system was damaged or the apex remained vert...

Tree‐ring proxy data from subtropical to tropical Australasia are valuable though rare sources for climate reconstructions. Toona sinensis (A. Juss.) M. Roem. and Toona ciliata M. Roem. occurring naturally in this region are among the most promising tree species for future tree‐ring research. However, little is known about their phenological behaviors and the influence of environmental conditions on their intraseasonal growth and wood anatomical properties. Growth experiments were conducted on young trees of both species to investigate their responses to different treatments. The results show that phenology and growth were adjusted according to the severity of the treatments. Restricted growth conditions often caused longer leafless periods, shorter flushes of leaves, and decreased height and diameter growth increments, and they resulted in more but smaller vessels. Under optimum conditions, T. ciliata did not become leafless, had multiple leaf flushes, sustained growth throughout the experiment, and did ...