Rapid trend towards larger and more moisture-limited trees in Central-European temperate forests

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60460709%3A41320%2F25%3A102559" target="_blank" >RIV/60460709:41320/25:102559 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ade0d8" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ade0d8</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ade0d8" target="_blank" >10.1088/1748-9326/ade0d8</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Rapid trend towards larger and more moisture-limited trees in Central-European temperate forests

Original language description

Tree stems represent a long-lived biomass compartment for atmospheric carbon sequestration. While terrestrial biosphere models predict rising carbon sequestration in forests, direct observations of tree growth are inconclusive due to varying standardization procedures of tree-ring series and complex factors influencing stem growth such as moisture and nutrient deficits and anthropogenic carbon and nitrogen fertilization. The mismatch between tree-ring-based observations, repeated inventories at permanent plots, and predictions of biospheric models represents a significant knowledge gap limiting forecasting of future forest growth. Using the novel approach free of tree-ring standardization trials and focusing on even-aged trees sampled from uneven-aged forest stands, we present a robust comparison of tree stem diameter changes in temperate forests between 1990 and 2015 along environmental gradients in Central Europe. The stem sizes of four out of five species showed significant enlargement while also partly increasing stem growth limitation due to moisture availability. The largest increase in stem diameter was recorded for late succession species on fertile sites. By contrast, the stem size of early-succession species on dry and nutrient-poor sites remained unaltered. Stems of mature trees in present-day forests are, on average, 8% thicker than their counterparts in 1990 consistent with trends predicted by terrestrial biosphere models. We demonstrated that, despite increasing drought limitation, temperate tree species enlarged their stems. Viewed in conjunction with older permanent plot data, Central-European temperate forests exhibited almost half century of continuous stem enlargement, potentially impacting forest functioning in terms of size-sensitive characteristics such as susceptibility to drought and disturbances.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

40102 - Forestry

Project

Result was created during the realization of more than one project. More information in the Projects tab.

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Environmental Research Letters

ISSN

1748-9318

e-ISSN

1748-9318

Volume of the periodical

20

Issue of the periodical within the volume

AUG 1 2025

Country of publishing house

CZ - CZECH REPUBLIC

Number of pages

10

Pages from-to

1-10

UT code for WoS article

001522759900001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105009786442