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Interaction of global warming and atmospheric nitrogen inputs in controlling the rejuvenation success of beech compared to more drought-tolerant tree species
Project
Project code: 2218WK32X4
Contract period: 01.02.2020
- 31.01.2023
Budget: 401,027 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
Keywords: beech, Douglas fir, oak, hardwood, silviculture, forest growth, climate sensitivity, climate change adaptation
Climate change is highly critical for forestry, since tree species have to be selected for cultivation many decades before their harvest. A high share of Germany’s forest vegetation would naturally be formed by European beech. Therefore, this species has strongly been promoted in silviculture. However, beech turned out to be susceptible to increasing summer drought. Dry periods in summer will become more frequent in future, challenging at least regionally the suitability of beech for cultivation. Elevated atmospheric nitrogen deposition is another factor that has increasingly become effective during recent decades. Experiments with beech and other tree species substantiated the existence of synergisms between climate change and high nitrogen loads, as among others drought stress is intensified due to reduced root formation at high nitrogen availability. Successful regeneration is a particularly critical stage in the forest cycle, because tree seedlings and saplings respond more sensitively to environmental stress than mature trees. Our aim is to quantify forest regeneration and to record vitality traits under different combinations of climatic conditions and atmospheric nitrogen loads in 60 beech forest regions of northwestern, central, and southwestern Germany. Furthermore, we plan pot experiments under controlled conditions. Beech will be comparatively studied the more drought-tolerant sessile oak and Douglas fir, since the latter could be used to replace beech where the cultivation of beech appears to be too hazardous under a future warmer climate. As far as possible (pot experiment; field studies in SW Germany), silver fir, a species that could potentially be used to replace spruce, will be integrated into the study. Based on our results, we will identify regions at risk for the cultivation of the study tree species in variation of climate and nitrogen deposition and make recommendations for the future choice of tree species for silviculture.
Section overview
Subjects
- Silviculture
- Climate Change
