Hans W. Linderholm. (2001). Climatic influence on Scots pine growth on dry and wet soils in the central Scandinavian mountains, interpreted from tree-ring width. Silva Fennica vol. 35 no. 4 article id 574. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.574

Keywords: Scots pine; tree-rings; climatic influence; periodicity

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Tree rings are one of the most important proxy data sources for reconstructing past climate variability. In order to understand climate variability, it is necessary to get a spatial and temporal coverage of climate information. Summer temperatures mainly influence tree growth at the altitudinal tree line, while at lower altitudes additional factors affect growth. In addition, the nature of soil where trees grow may affect growth response to climate. To decide climate as well as growth-substrate influences on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growing below the tree line, two tree-ring width chronologies, sampled at dry mineral soil and wet peat soil in a mountain valley in the central Scandinavian Mountains, were analysed for climate responses and spectral signals. Temperatures during growth season (May–August) showed the strongest influence on tree growth at both sites. Influence of precipitation in the growing season was low, indicating sufficient amounts of available water during growth. However, at the dry-soil site the influence of late winter/early spring precipitation was significant. Strength of the climate–tree–growth relationship at the dry site was similar to that of trees growing at the present tree line, while weaker at the wet site. Both site chronologies exhibited common spectral peaks at c. 3.5 and 13 years indicating a common growth forcing at those time scales. The wet-site chronology displayed low-frequency variations with a 19-year periodicity, where growth peaks coincided with the lunar tidal maxima indicating a possible influence of lunar forcing. At the dry-site, multi-decadal fluctuations displayed a periodicity of 66 years. Both 13- and 66-year periods can be linked to variations in sea surface temperatures of the North Atlantic Ocean, pointing to a maritime influence, on decadal scales, of pine growth in the area. These results suggest that Scots pine in this environment may be regarded as proxies of North Atlantic Ocean coupled climatic variability.

Linderholm, Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden E-mail: hasse@natgeo.su.se

article id 616, category Research article

Markus Lindholm, Hannu Lehtonen, Taneli Kolström, Jouko Meriläinen, Matti Eronen, Mauri Timonen. (2000). Climatic signals extracted from ring-width chronologies of Scots pines from the northern, middle and southern parts of the boreal forest belt in Finland. Silva Fennica vol. 34 no. 4 article id 616. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.616

Keywords: boreal forest; Scots pine; tree-rings; ring-width chronologies; growth variability; growth responses; spectral analysis

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Climatic signals were extracted from ring-width chronologies of Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) from natural stands of the northern, middle, and southern parts of the boreal forest belt in Finland. The strength of the common growth signals (forcing factors) were quantified as a function of time. This was achieved by mean inter-series correlations, calculated over a moving 30-year window, both within and between the regional chronologies. Strong regional signals and also evidence for common forcings were found, especially between northern and central, central and eastern, as well as central/eastern and southern chronologies. Response function analyses revealed that growing season temperatures govern the growth rates of northern pines, while towards south, pine growth becomes less affected by temperatures, and more affected by e.g. precipitation. During some periods, growing conditions seem to have been favorable in the south, while they have been unfavorable in the north (growth inversions). Going from the north to the south, the variability of radial growth clearly decreases, and the variance of ring-width series becomes smaller. Growth variability in the four regions was compared during the common interval of the chronologies, from 1806 to 1991. The spectral densities of the northern, central, eastern and southern chronologies were also compared as functions of frequency, viz. cycles per year. The variance is much greater and there is more periodic behavior in the north than in the south in high, medium, as well as lower frequencies.

Lindholm, Saima Centre for Environmental Sciences, University of Joensuu, Linnankatu 11, FIN-57130 Savonlinna, Finland E-mail: ml@nn.fi
Lehtonen, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Joensuu Research Station, Box 68, FIN-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: hl@nn.fi
Kolström, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Joensuu Research Station, Box 68, FIN-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: tk@nn.fi
Meriläinen, Saima Centre for Environmental Sciences, University of Joensuu, Linnankatu 11, FIN-57130 Savonlinna, Finland E-mail: jm@nn.fi
Eronen, Department of Geology, Division of Geology and Palaeontology, Box 11, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland E-mail: me@nn.fi
Timonen, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Rovaniemi Research Station, Box 16, FIN-96301 Rovaniemi, Finland E-mail: mt@nn.fi

Category : Research note

article id 1346, category Research note

Āris Jansons, Roberts Matisons, Oskars Krišāns, Baiba Džeriņa, Mārtiņš Zeps. (2015). Effect of initial fertilization on 34-year increment and wood properties of Norway spruce in Latvia. Silva Fennica vol. 50 no. 1 article id 1346. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.1346

Keywords: Picea abies; wood density; proportion of latewood; tree-rings; high-frequency densitometry; legacy effect

Highlights: The initial fertilization increased the productivity of Picea abies increasing stem volume by 17% at the age of 34 years; The tree-ring width was affected for up to15 years; The fertilization did not affect mean tree-ring density, although the latewood density was increased.

Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Initial fertilisation, when the fertilizer is supplied during the plantation, is applied to improve the competitive ability of the seedlings and hence to increase their growth and productivity; however, fertilization could also alter wood properties and timber quality. In this study, the dimensions and tree-ring parameters – width, proportion of latewood, maximum and mean density, mean earlywood and latewood density – of initially fertilized (by 14, 6 and 11 g of N, P and K per seedling, respectively) Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.) growing in an experimental plantation in Kalsnava, Latvia (temperate climate region) were assessed. The fertilization significantly increased the dimensions of trees in long-term (ca. 17% increase of stemwood volume). The analysis of tree-ring width suggested that the duration of the effect was ca. 15 years. The maximum and latewood density were higher for the fertilized trees only in a few years. The mean and earlywood density of tree-rings were mainly similar for both treatments. Altogether, considering the one-time application of a limited amount of fertilizer, such treatment had notable and lasting effect on Norway spruce.

Jansons, LSRFI “Silava”, Rigas str. 111, Salaspils, Latvia, LV2169 E-mail: aris.jansons@silava.lv
Matisons, LSRFI “Silava”, Rigas str. 111, Salaspils, Latvia, LV2169 E-mail: robism@inbox.lv
Krišāns, LSRFI “Silava”, Rigas str. 111, Salaspils, Latvia, LV2169 E-mail: oskars.krisans@silava.lv
Džeriņa, LSRFI “Silava”, Rigas str. 111, Salaspils, Latvia, LV2169 E-mail: baiba.dzerina@silava.lv
Zeps, LSRFI “Silava”, Rigas str. 111, Salaspils, Latvia, LV2169 E-mail: martins.zeps@silava.lv

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