Impact of technical water retention on European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) resilience and growth dynamics

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60460709%3A41320%2F25%3A102592" target="_blank" >RIV/60460709:41320/25:102592 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.17221/92/2024-JFS" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.17221/92/2024-JFS</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.17221/92/2024-JFS" target="_blank" >10.17221/92/2024-JFS</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Impact of technical water retention on European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) resilience and growth dynamics

Original language description

Global climate change (GCC) is putting increasing pressure on forest ecosystems, leading to more frequent disturbances such as pest outbreaks and other climate-related stressors, all of which threaten forest stability. This study examines how different technical water retention measures (infiltration pits) can enhance the resilience of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) to these climatic challenges, focusing on their impact on radial growth, sap flow, and acclimatisation to moisture conditions at two sites in Czechia (430-440 m a.s.l.). Three treatments were compared: a water infiltration pit under a culvert mouth, an infiltration pit without a culvert and a control plot without a technical solution. Results showed that maximum daily transpiration rates of beech ranged between 90-120 L per day. Air temperature had a stronger influence on beech radial growth than precipitation, particularly at the waterlogged sites. The lowest radial growth occurred in the treatment involving a water infiltration pit under a culvert mouth, while treatments with an infiltration pit without a culvert demonstrated notable seasonal stem shrinkage and swelling (tree water deficit TWD), especially in early spring. On the other hand, no differences were found between the three treatments including the control variant in the maximum growth or the context of minimum TWD. In conclusion, these technical measures had limited or short-term effects on the growth and physiological processes of European beech. Despite the high costs of implementation, sap flow and dendrochronological measurements do not support the construction of infiltration pits as a means of improving water retention in forest ecosystems.

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

—

OECD FORD branch

40102 - Forestry

Project

<a href="/en/project/QK22020146" target="_blank" >QK22020146: Guidelines for Water Management on Forest Transportation Network</a><br>

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

Journal of Forest Science

ISSN

1805-935X

e-ISSN

1805-935X

Volume of the periodical

71

Issue of the periodical within the volume

2025

Country of publishing house

CZ - CZECH REPUBLIC

Number of pages

14

Pages from-to

124-137

UT code for WoS article

001454838500001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105001340810