Assessment of Drought-Tolerant Provenances of Austria’s Indigenous Tree Species

Gerhard Karrer,Gabriele Bassler-Binder,Wolfgang Willner

doi:10.3390/su14052861

Gerhard Karrer, Gabriele Bassler-Binder + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052861

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Abstract

(1) Background: Forestry will have to react to climate change because many tree species suffer. Mitigation can be realized either by planting non-native trees from regions with high climatic stress or by utilizing native tree provenances already adapted to stressful environments. Non-native trees have often generated problems in the past due to uncontrolled invasiveness. The use of native trees pre-adapted to the prospective climatic conditions is far less risky for the respective ecosystems. We offer a tool for selecting ecotypes of native trees as provenances for future forestry. (2) Methods: We propose the selection of tree species native to Middle Europe from a database of vegetation relevés of ± natural forest stands. By calculating the mean ecological indicator values of stands from their vegetation, cover sites can be elected that can provide seeds of provenances well adapted to future climatic conditions. (3) Results: By selecting the 10% partition of the most extreme stands of European tree species, seeds can be sampled and propagated for re-cultivating forests fit for future climate. (4) Conclusions: One can expect ecotypes of tree species that grow well on dry sites, since generations have faced evolutionary selection, for survival under stressful environments. This approach helps to avoid ecological risks of non-native trees.

Highlights

Climate change dynamics will have a strong impact on forest ecosystems and timber production [1,2]
(2) Methods: We propose the selection of tree species native to Middle Europe from a database of vegetation relevés of ± natural forest stands
We demonstrate the amplitude and means of ecological factors of plots where the respective tree species plays a significant role in the tree layer. mean moisture values (mM)-means of relevés indicate the average water availability for the tree species on the respective sites and can be used to define the 10% driest relevés of the respective tree species (e.g., Figure 2)

Summary

Introduction

Climate change dynamics will have a strong impact on forest ecosystems and timber production [1,2]. In managed as well as natural forests, increased temperature and lower rainfall will induce problems for the survival of several tree species [4–6]. The managed forests at lower and medium altitudes of Europe dominated by Norway spruce or European beech suffer seriously from the consequences of more frequent droughts [7,8]. Specific problems arise for European trees with increasing mean annual temperatures (plus 1.7–1.9 ◦ C, compared to pre-industrial times [11]) and raising water stress. The capacity to manage drought periods might be increased in populations that experience drought relative to their species specific normal physiological range. Human influence on Sustainability 2022, 14, 2861.

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