Abstract

Dendrochronological methods were used to study the response of Quercus robur L. to climate change in Polissya. Negative pointer years (1950, 1976, 1995, 1999, 2002, 2008, and 2011) resulted from the precipitation deficiency during the growing season, cold or extremely warm winters, and abnormal early-spring temperatures. Positive pointer years (1967, 1997, 2001, and 2007) had a favorable heat and moisture balance. Dendroclimatic analysis of oak regional tree-ring chronology showed that during the spring and summer terms of 1980 - 2013, as compared to the previous 1946–1979, there a decrease in the positive influence of temperatures on the oak radial growth. In the second period, the negative impact of precipitation during the cold period on radial growth increased. The adverse impact of April precipitation on radial growth for both periods was revealed as well as the positive influence of July precipitation in the first period and precipitation in June and July in the second one. The increased influence of temperatures and precipitation on the oak radial growth in 1980 - 2013, as compared to previous 1946-1979, indicates an increase in the tree sensitivity to climate change in the second period.

Highlights

  • English oak (Quercus robur L.) is one of the main forest-forming species in Ukraine

  • The expressed population signal (EPS), which states the reliability of measurements in chronology and is a function of Rbar and the number of tree-ring chronologies, was calculated using the formula: EPS(t) tRbar (1 Rbar )

  • Analysis of the response function when comparing the oak radial growth response for 1946–1979 and 1980–2013 showed a decrease in the positive effect of temperatures during the growing season in the second period

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Summary

Introduction

English oak (Quercus robur L.) is one of the main forest-forming species in Ukraine. Oak forest ecosystems provide a wide range of ecological benefits [1, 2]. Weather extremes in particular, are radical selective factors that will change forest structure, including tree species composition, in the future in a regionally differentiated manner. Extreme climatic factors will lead to an increased dying off of individual trees within stocks These trees or groups of trees must be detected early for different measures (timber use, forest protection, prevention of danger to ensure traffic safety etc.) [2]. These observations can only be made for a few decades in advance, which barely represent half of a forest generation. This short time period is unsatisfactory in view of the temporal dimension of forest development [2]

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