The impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on radial tree growth on the northern Kola Peninsula

Abstract

The dynamics of radial growth of pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and spruce (Picea obovata Ledeb.) trees at the northern limit of their distribution in the area of the Kola Peninsula affected by emissions from the Severonikel industrial complex has been investigated. A correlation between the radial growth of trees and a combination of environmental factors has been revealed through the use of statistical methods, and a contribution of individual factors has been identified. Statistically significant correlations between the productivity of trees, on one hand, and the level of pollution, topography, and climatic effects, on the other, have been detected. A significant correlation between the degree of tree growth and the amount of industrial emissions in the atmosphere has been revealed; the correlation depended on the degree of technogenic impact on the trees, the tree species, and the location of trees on hill slopes. The growth oscillations of different frequencies (long waves of 50 years, medium-length waves of 30 years, and short annual waves) were shown to depend on climatic factors in different ways.