Spring-summer drought induces extremely low radial growth reactions in north-Tyrrhenian Pinus pinea L.

FIDEL A. ROIG; SERGIO PIRAINO

Floresta e Ambiente

Forest Institute of Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro

Lugar: Rio de Janeiro; Año: 2020 vol. 27 p. 1 - 9

Climate projections predict shifts in environmental conditions, with cascade effect on the forest growth dynamics. Pinus pinea L., an ecologically important low-elevation Mediterranean tree, can be threatened by drought events. The occurrence of negative stem growth anomalies (?negative pointer years?: NPY) and its relation with climatic conditions, and the influence of extreme dry spells upon the species growth, were analyzed. NPY were temporally independent among the analyzed forest stands, likely function of local factors. We observed that NPY depended on dry and hot conditions during spring-summer period at both sites, while differences in the NPY-climate reflected the species medium term dendroclimatological signal. Extremely drought years directly reduced stem growth rates. Water stress differentially affected growth at each site, likely reflecting local adaptation to droughts. By virtue of the increasing drought trend expected for the Mediterranean basin, our findings must be considered in aspects of conservation and management of these forests.