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Unraveling climatic effects on growth of oak - Europe's most ecologically and economically important forest species - has been the subject of many recent studies; however, more insight based on field data is necessary to better understand the relationship between climate and tree growth and to adapt forest management strategies to future climate change. In this report, we explore the influence of temperature, precipitation and drought variability on the productivity and vitality of oak stands in the Czech Highlands. We collected 180 cores from mature oaks (Quercus petraea) at four forest stands in the Czech Drahany Highlands. Standard dendromethods were used for sample preparation, ring width measurements, cross-dating, chronology development, and the assessment of growth-climate response patterns. Crown vitality was also evaluated, using the modified ICP Forests methodology. Late spring precipitation totals between May and June as well as the mean July temperature for the year of ring formation were found to be the most important factors for oak growth, whereas crown condition was significantly affected by spring and summer drought. This study is rep-resentative for similar bio-ecological habitats across Central Europe and can serve as a dendroclima-tological blueprint for earlier periods for which detailed meteorological information is missing [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of the study were to determine the effect of temperatures and precipitation on the ring width and to compare the results with the results of previous studies conducted in other mountain ranges of the Czech Republic. The research was performedin the central part of the Ceskomoravská Uplandin the vicinity of Herálec municipality in selected 70- up to 110-year-old spruce stands at altitudes from 680ma.s.l. to 779 m a.s.l. Measuring of tree-ring widths and synchronization of individual ring series were conducted in PAST4. The age trend was removed by ARSTAN and climatic effects were modelled in Dendro Clim 2002. The correlation of tree-ring width with monthly precipitation is positive and statistically significant for July of the previous year andfor the entire summer periodfrom June to September of the current year. The correlation of tree-ring width with mean monthly temperatures is negative andstatistically significant for July and Septem - ber andpositive andstatistically significant for October of the previous year. Negative correlation was also foundfor temperatures of the entire summer periodfrom June to September of the previous year. The regional tree-ring chronology mainly shows two periods of highly reduced increment: from 1992 to 1996 and from 2003 to the end of the analysed period. The results thus confirm the hypothesis that the tree-ring width is in positive correlation with summer precipitation andnegative correlation with summer temperatures. Also the results of the habitual diagnostics have shown a relatively low degree of crown transformation which indicates a weak or short-term stress load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Norway spruce has experienced unprecedented forest declines in recent decades, leading to extensive salvage logging. Currently, because of the conversion of conifer forests into more natural mixed forests in Central Europe, spruce has begun to be replaced, mainly by European beech. The frequently discussed changing climate has a crucial effect on the vitality of both species. To improve our understanding of spruce and beech responses to climate change, including more frequent temperature and drought extremes, we investigated the impact of temporal climate variability on the growth of these species along an elevation gradient. In total, 79 spruce and 90 beech trees were used to build species-specific tree-ring width chronologies representing the altitudinal range in which both species grow (450, 650, 800, and 950 m asl) under the conditions of the Czech Republic. The climate–growth relationship indicates strong dependence of spruce and beech tree-ring growth on spring temperature (Mar–May) at all sites and summer (Jun–Aug) water availability at lower altitudes. Significant temporal shifts in the climate–growth relationships of both species indicate an increasing negative effect of summer temperature and positive effect of water availability in summer. The increasing drought and temperature sensitivity of both species suggest a significant impact of the predicted climate change on such forest ecosystems. Discussion emphasizes the current importance of adaptive forest management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climatic parameters are the main environmental factors affecting tree growth. The main aim of the presented study was to determine whether different oak species growing under contrasting environmental conditions show different sensitivity to climatic parameters. Four oak stands with Quercus robur, Quercus petraea, Quercus polycarpa and Quercus dalechampii growing in the same area were evaluated. Standard dendrochronological methods were used for sample preparation, ring width measurements, cross-dating, chronology development, and the assessment of growth-climate response patterns. Although the species grew under different environmental conditions, their local tree-ring chronologies are highly correlated. The radial growth responses to climatic parameters differ slightly, but the response depends more on local site conditions than on the oak species. At the same time, the strongest correlations between radial growth and climatic parameters were identical among species and sites. The amount of water available in the soil was the main climate-dependent factor limiting radial growth. Approximately since the 1990s, the distribution of rainfalls within the growing season has changed at the expense of spring precipitation. The significance of relative soil moisture content during spring for oak growth increased and the significance of summer values decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]