Archana Gauli

It is likely that changing monsoon patterns and changes in other climatic parameters will have an impact on forests. Tree growth and biomass may respond differently across the different forest recovery contexts after the disturbance regimes. It is essential to understand the response of different tree species in order to comprehend their ability to adapt to climate change. An enhanced understanding of how tree species dynamics change with a substantial shift in climate attributes is crucial to develop adaptive forest management strategies. Advances in the statistical application of tree ring data results in more reliable dating with the high accuracy and precision of any of the paleo-records and robust and long-term reconstructions of key indices such as temperature and precipitation. In this study, we analyzed how different species inhabiting together respond to changes in climatic variables using dendroclimatic analysis. We assessed the growth performance of Abies pindrow, Pinus wallichiana, and Tsuga dumosa in the temperate region of Nepal. The climate sensitivity of the species was analyzed using bootstrap correlation analysis and the climate-growth relationship over time was assessed using the moving correlation function. Tree ring growth of Abies pindrow is stimulated by higher June temperatures and higher March precipitation. This positive relationship is consistent and stationary over time. However, in the other two species, both response function and moving correlation analysis showed that the relationship between climate and growth is inconsistent and changes over time.

In this study, we used retrospective dendroclimatological analyses to explore whether El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and local precipitation patterns have an influence on tree growth in Suriname, a country located on the Guiana Shield, as annual precipitation patterns on the Guiana Shield are related to ENSO. Discs were taken from 20 trees of Cedrela odorata, whose stem forms very distinct annual growth rings, for tree ring analyses. The trees grew in unmanaged tropical wet forests of Suriname. The tree-ring series of individual trees started between 1836 and 1931 and extended over a period of 84–180 years. The 20 dated series were utilized for constructing a tree-ring chronology. Unlike many other studies that used local anomalies such as flood pulse, precipitation, and drought events to describe the influence of El Niño on tree growth, we used monthly precipitation and ENSO indices as predictors of tree growth to calculate response and correlation functions. The study observed that tree ring growth of Cedrela odorata is influenced by precipitation in August and June of the current year and in August of the previous year, as well as by the ENSO indices SSTA, TSA, TNA, and NAO. Systematic increases in the strength of the El Niño southern oscillation (ENSO) teleconnection due to climate change could affect the growth of trees on the Guiana Shield.

Tree ring analyses can assist in revealing the effect of gradual change in climatic variables on tree growth. Dendroclimatic analyses are of particular importance in evaluating the climate variables that affect growth significantly and in determining the relative strength of different climatic factors. In this study, we investigated the growth performance of Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies, and Pseudotsuga menziesii in northern Germany using standard dendrochronological methods. The study further analyzed tree growth responses to different climatic variables over a period of a hundred years. Both response function analysis and moving correlation analysis confirmed that the climate and growth relationship is species-specific and variable and inconsistent over time. Scots pine and Douglas fir growth were stimulated mainly by the increase in winter temperatures, particularly the January, February, and March temperatures of the current year. In contrast, Norway spruce growth was stimulated mainly by the increase in precipitation in May, June, and July and the increase in temperature in March of the current year. Climate projections for central Europe foresee an increase in temperature and a decrease in the amount of summer precipitation. In a future, warmer climate with drier summers, the growth of Norway spruce might be negatively affected.