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We present the application of dendrochronological dating of the renovation and construction works of churches in the Kaunas and Vilnius regions of Lithuania. The model for the estimation of the missing rings of Scots pine was used in Lithuania for the first time. We have assessed 18 timber cross-sections from nine churches, which were used for the constructions from the second half of the 17th to 19th c. The oldest wood samples were dated from St. Michael’s Church in Vilnius (1668±4) and St. George, the Martyr, (Bernardine) Church in Kaunas (1693±3). The aim of this study was to compare the results of the investigation of timber samples from 9 churches with archival sources and literature data and to reveal the renovation history of the buildings. The study of written historical sources has revealed a lack of recorded building and reconstruction phases of the churches. This fact was later confirmed by the results of dendrochronological dating. The dating of the timber revealed undocumented reconstruction dates in Zapyškis church (1791±3), St. George, the Martyr, (Bernardine) Church in Kaunas (1711±4), St. Anne Church in Skaruliai (1693±3) and Vilnius Cathedral (1814±4).

We analyzed a 42-year series (1976–2017) of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) tree-diameter data, obtained using band dendrometers, from our study site in Aukštaitija National Park, Lithuania. We evaluated the intra- and inter-annual growth dynamics of tree diameter and their response to meteorological forcing, as well as the long-term annual and monthly growth-rate changes in tree diameter in the study area. On average, the largest growth in tree diameter was found to have taken place in June (35% of the annual increase). After 24 June, the tree-diameter growth rate strongly decreased. Pine growth in May and August was mostly affected by the temperature during the previous month. Precipitation was the main driver that determined tree growth in June–August, with heavy precipitation events having the largest impact on short-term increases in tree diameter. We determined that the largest positive growth-rate changes in Scots pine tree diameter occurred as a result of higher air temperature in May and June between 1976 and 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of future forests in global biogeochemical cycles will depend on how different tree species respond to climate. Interpreting the response of forest growth to climate change requires an understanding of the temporal and spatial patterns of seasonal climatic influences on the growth of common tree species. We constructed a new network of 310 tree‐ring width chronologies from three common tree species (Quercus robur, Pinus sylvestris and Fagus sylvatica) collected for different ecological, management and climate purposes in the south Baltic Sea region at the border of three bioclimatic zones (temperate continental, oceanic, southern boreal). The major climate factors (temperature, precipitation, drought) affecting tree growth at monthly and seasonal scales were identified. Our analysis documents that 20th century Scots pine and deciduous species growth is generally controlled by different climate parameters, and that summer moisture availability is increasingly important for the growth of deciduous species examined. We report changes in the influence of winter climate variables over the last decades, where a decreasing influence of late winter temperature on deciduous tree growth and an increasing influence of winter temperature on Scots pine growth was found. By comparing climate–growth responses for the 1943–1972 and 1973–2002 periods and characterizing site‐level growth response stability, a descriptive application of spatial segregation analysis distinguished sites with stable responses to dominant climate parameters (northeast of the study region), and sites that collectively showed unstable responses to winter climate (southeast of the study region). The findings presented here highlight the temporally unstable and nonuniform responses of tree growth to climate variability, and that there are geographical coherent regions where these changes are similar. Considering continued climate change in the future, our results provide important regional perspectives on recent broad‐scale climate–growth relationships for trees across the temperate to boreal forest transition around the south Baltic Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European beech is a successful tree species outside its distribution range in northeastern Europe, where Prussian foresters introduced it mainly into Scots pine stands. This forest management practice resulted in new issues related to the sensitivity of European beech to current environmental changes in areas outside its natural range. We hypothesized that recent global environmental changes promoted the northeast migration of European beech outside its distribution range in Europe. To test this hypothesis, dendrochronological analysis of beech tree ring series was performed for eight sites located in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Frost in winter months and heat in June, along with drought in the vegetation period, limited beech tree growth outside its natural distribution range in northeast Europe. Higher air concentration of surface ozone and sulphur deposition level reinforced the negative effect of the detected key meteorological variables on beech growth, while higher air concentrations and deposition of nitrate had a positive effect. These factors explained about 50% of the total variation in increment indexes of beech trees at sites on the northeasren edge of their range. The observed trends of beech growth over the last 25 years has determined favorable conditions for planting this tree species outside its natural range in northeastern European forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hypothesis that trees have grown more rapidly in recent years as a consequence of climate warming and the reduced pollution was tested in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests in Lithuania. A hundred of the largest, dominant pine trees, with a diameter at breast height exceeding 50 cm, were selected in three experimental, over-mature stands located in different parts of the country (north-eastern, western and sea coast). Results confirmed that the annual increment of the trees analyzed has increased since 1980. The causes of such faster growth were higher air temperatures during the winter and, to a lesser extent, higher temperatures from May through August. The effect of precipitation was negligible. Using data on acidifying pollutants collected in last 30 years, a significant effect of the reduced SO2 concentration and sulphur deposition, as well as of the increased ammonia deposition, on the enhanced annual increment in the tree basal area was detected. Multiple regression analysis revealed that meteorological parameters can explain up to 50% of the observed variation in the increase of growth rate for Scots pine in Lithuania, while the variation in the concentration of acidifying pollutants accounted for an additional 30%. However, the pollution data set did not cover a timespan long enough (20-30 years) to clearly distinguish between the effect of the reduced pollution in recent years and the increased temperatures due to global warming as the driving factor of the enhanced growth observed for dominant pine trees in Lithanian forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although two centennial Scots pine chronologies for the dating of timber in Lithuania were constructed in the 2000 s, the Baltic countries still lack a network of regional chronologies. To fill this gap, we constructed three Scots pine chronologies for western, central and eastern Lithuania. Here we present chronologies covering the fifteen to the twentieth centuries. Our analysis revealed a strong teleconnection of the compiled chronologies with Scots pine chronologies constructed in Poland, Latvia, Estonia, and Belarus. The established link with Belarus chronologies and the fact that some of the timber in Lithuanian buildings could be of Belarus origin is important in the long-distance timber trade during the last 500 years. Dendroclimatological analysis has shown that constructed tree-ring chronologies are sensitive to air temperatures in February and March. Therefore, the constructed chronologies have a potential for climate reconstructions and dendroprovenancing. • Three centennial pine chronologies have been constructed for western, central, and eastern Lithuania. • The constructed chronologies show the a degree of similarity with pine chronologies in Poland, Belarus, Latvia, and Estonia. • Our study suggests that from 3 % to 18 % of timbers, imported over distances greater than 100 kilometres, was used in the building constructions. • The radial growth of pine is sensitive to air temperatures in early spring and rainfall in June. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term investigations of Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) growth were carried out in the vicinity of one of the biggest air pollution sources in Lithuania-mineral fertilizers plant 'Achema.' It is detected that initial stages of the dynamic tree response to the external stress factors in the polluted environment with an increased quantity of nitrogen compounds have started with a stimulation stage, followed by a gradual transition to a depression of growth. The recovery of the damaged stands took place along with the reduced environmental pollution, and the overdraft of the 'normal' annual increment was a characteristic feature of all the investigated stands. This phase is still continuing for the most damaged stands. A very high individual variability of the tree growth response to the environmental impact is a characteristic feature of the damaged Scots pine stands. The homeostatic mechanisms of the survived trees stipulated reaching approximately the same or even higher growth rate as prior to the depression period, and the tree growth rate before the depression period can serve as the most powerful predictor of tree growth recovery capacity under the reduced environmental pollution. Crown defoliation is the next most important predictor of individual tree recovery capacity. Lower stand density and lower competition cause higher recovery capacity of damaged trees. The conclusion is made that a reduction in the environmental pollution on the local and regional scale and especially a decrease in emissions and deposition of sulfur and nitrogen compounds caused the recovery of damaged forests. These trends should be taken into account while analyzing and modeling forest dynamics. Interaction of environmental pollution and climatic factors is very important for the response of tree growth to the environmental stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]