Tree sapling vitality and recovery following the unprecedented 2018 drought in central Europe
Background: Ongoing climate change is anticipated to increase the frequency and intensity of drought events, thereby affecting forest recovery dynamics and elevating tree mortality. The drought of 2018, with its exceptional intensity and duration, had a significant adverse impact on tree species thr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Forest Ecosystems |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2197562023000714 |
| _version_ | 1797382909561143296 |
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| author | Mirela Beloiu Schwenke Valeska Schönlau Carl Beierkuhnlein |
| author_facet | Mirela Beloiu Schwenke Valeska Schönlau Carl Beierkuhnlein |
| author_sort | Mirela Beloiu Schwenke |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Ongoing climate change is anticipated to increase the frequency and intensity of drought events, thereby affecting forest recovery dynamics and elevating tree mortality. The drought of 2018, with its exceptional intensity and duration, had a significant adverse impact on tree species throughout Central Europe. However, our understanding of the resistance to and recovery of young trees from drought stress remains limited. Here, we examined the recovery patterns of native deciduous tree sapling species following the 2018 drought, and explored the impact of soil depth, understory vegetation, and litter cover on this recovery. Methods: A total of 1,149 saplings of seven deciduous tree species were monitored in the understory of old-growth forests in Northern Bavaria, Central Germany. The vitality of the saplings was recorded from 2018 to 2021 on 170 plots. Results: Fagus sylvatica was the most drought-resistant species, followed by Betula pendula, Acer pseudoplatanus, Quercus spp., Corylus avellana, Carpinus betulus, and Sorbus aucuparia. Although the drought conditions persisted one year later, all species recovered significantly from the 2018 drought, albeit with a slight decrease in vitality by 2021. In 2018, the drought exhibited a more pronounced adverse effect on saplings in deciduous forests compared to mixed and coniferous forests. Conversely, sapling recovery in coniferous and mixed forests exceeded that observed in deciduous forests in 2019. The pivotal factors influencing sapling resilience to drought were forest types, soil depth, and understory vegetation, whereas litter and forest canopy cover had a negative impact. Conclusion: Long-term responses of tree species to drought can be best discerned through continuous health monitoring. These findings demonstrate the natural regeneration potential of deciduous species in the context of climate change. Selective tree species planting, soil management practices, and promoting understory diversity should be considered when implementing adaptive management strategies to enhance forest resilience to drought events. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:12:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-761872cbd0fe48da99b250c252a4e41b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2197-5620 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T21:12:26Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forest Ecosystems |
| spelling | doaj.art-761872cbd0fe48da99b250c252a4e41b2023-12-22T05:32:39ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Forest Ecosystems2197-56202023-01-0110100140Tree sapling vitality and recovery following the unprecedented 2018 drought in central EuropeMirela Beloiu Schwenke0Valeska Schönlau1Carl Beierkuhnlein2Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Corresponding author.Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany; Corresponding author.Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany; GIB Geographical Institute Bayreuth, University of Bayreuth, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany; BayCEER Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research, University of Bayreuth, 95448, Bayreuth, GermanyBackground: Ongoing climate change is anticipated to increase the frequency and intensity of drought events, thereby affecting forest recovery dynamics and elevating tree mortality. The drought of 2018, with its exceptional intensity and duration, had a significant adverse impact on tree species throughout Central Europe. However, our understanding of the resistance to and recovery of young trees from drought stress remains limited. Here, we examined the recovery patterns of native deciduous tree sapling species following the 2018 drought, and explored the impact of soil depth, understory vegetation, and litter cover on this recovery. Methods: A total of 1,149 saplings of seven deciduous tree species were monitored in the understory of old-growth forests in Northern Bavaria, Central Germany. The vitality of the saplings was recorded from 2018 to 2021 on 170 plots. Results: Fagus sylvatica was the most drought-resistant species, followed by Betula pendula, Acer pseudoplatanus, Quercus spp., Corylus avellana, Carpinus betulus, and Sorbus aucuparia. Although the drought conditions persisted one year later, all species recovered significantly from the 2018 drought, albeit with a slight decrease in vitality by 2021. In 2018, the drought exhibited a more pronounced adverse effect on saplings in deciduous forests compared to mixed and coniferous forests. Conversely, sapling recovery in coniferous and mixed forests exceeded that observed in deciduous forests in 2019. The pivotal factors influencing sapling resilience to drought were forest types, soil depth, and understory vegetation, whereas litter and forest canopy cover had a negative impact. Conclusion: Long-term responses of tree species to drought can be best discerned through continuous health monitoring. These findings demonstrate the natural regeneration potential of deciduous species in the context of climate change. Selective tree species planting, soil management practices, and promoting understory diversity should be considered when implementing adaptive management strategies to enhance forest resilience to drought events.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2197562023000714Drought stressTemperate forestDeciduous treesClimate changeExtreme eventsSoil depth |
| spellingShingle | Mirela Beloiu Schwenke Valeska Schönlau Carl Beierkuhnlein Tree sapling vitality and recovery following the unprecedented 2018 drought in central Europe Forest Ecosystems Drought stress Temperate forest Deciduous trees Climate change Extreme events Soil depth |
| title | Tree sapling vitality and recovery following the unprecedented 2018 drought in central Europe |
| title_full | Tree sapling vitality and recovery following the unprecedented 2018 drought in central Europe |
| title_fullStr | Tree sapling vitality and recovery following the unprecedented 2018 drought in central Europe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tree sapling vitality and recovery following the unprecedented 2018 drought in central Europe |
| title_short | Tree sapling vitality and recovery following the unprecedented 2018 drought in central Europe |
| title_sort | tree sapling vitality and recovery following the unprecedented 2018 drought in central europe |
| topic | Drought stress Temperate forest Deciduous trees Climate change Extreme events Soil depth |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2197562023000714 |
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