%0 Research note
%T Relationships between climatic variables and tree-ring width of European beech and European larch growing outside of their natural distribution area
%A Jansons, Āris
%A Matisons, Roberts
%A Puriņa, Līga
%A Neimane, Una
%A Jansons, Jānis
%D 2015
%J Silva Fennica
%V 49
%N 1
%R doi:10.14214/sf.1255
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/1255
%X Relationships between climatic variables and tree-ring width (TRW) of dominant European larch (<em>Larix decidua</em> Mill.) and European beech (<em>Fagus sylvatica</em> L.) trees growing outside of their natural distribution area in western Latvia were studied. Chronologies of TRW, which covered the periods 1949–2012 and 1911–2012, were produced for beech and larch, respectively. Common signatures in TRW between both species were observed, but their amplitude differed. Correlation analysis showed that variation of TRW of both species was affected by drought related climatic variables. Tree-ring width of beech was affected by temperature in the previous July and August and the effect of spring and autumn temperature was observed. Since the 1980s, the effect of July precipitation has become significant. Summer precipitation was significant for larch in the mid-part of the previous century; however, temperature in the previous September has become a limiting factor since 1970s. The limiting effect of winter and spring temperature apparently lost its significance around the 1950s.