Abstract

Tree stems represent a long-lived biomass compartment for atmospheric carbon sequestration. While terrestrial biosphere models predict rising carbon sequestration in forests, direct observations of tree growth are inconclusive due to varying standardization procedures of tree-ring series and complex factors influencing stem growth such as moisture and nutrient deficits and anthropogenic carbon and nitrogen fertilization. The mismatch between tree-ring-based observations, repeated inventories at permanent plots, and predictions of biospheric models represents a significant knowledge gap limiting forecasting of future forest growth. Using the novel approach free of tree-ring standardization trials and focusing on even-aged trees sampled from uneven-aged forest stands, we present a robust comparison of tree stem diameter changes in temperate forests between 1990 and 2015 along environmental gradients in Central Europe. The stem sizes of four out of five species showed significant enlargement while also partly increasing stem growth limitation due to moisture availability. The largest increase in stem diameter was recorded for late succession species on fertile sites. By contrast, the stem size of early-succession species on dry and nutrient-poor sites remained unaltered. Stems of mature trees in present-day forests are, on average, 8% thicker than their counterparts in 1990 consistent with trends predicted by terrestrial biosphere models. We demonstrated that, despite increasing drought limitation, temperate tree species enlarged their stems. Viewed in conjunction with older permanent plot data, Central-European temperate forests exhibited almost half century of continuous stem enlargement, potentially impacting forest functioning in terms of size-sensitive characteristics such as susceptibility to drought and disturbances.

Details

Title
Rapid trend towards larger and more moisture-limited trees in Central-European temperate forests
Author
Treml, Václav 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Tumajer, Jan 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Oulehle, Filip 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Altman, Jan 3 ; Doležal, Jiří 4 ; Vejpustková, Monika 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Rydval, Miloš 6 ; Altmanová, Nela 4 ; Brůha, Lukáš 1 ; Čada, Vojtěch 6   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Fibich, Pavel 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Kaczka, Ryszard 1 ; Kašpar, Jakub 7   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Kolář, Tomáš 8   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Krejza, Jan 9   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Mašek, Jiří 1 ; Mikhailov, Sergei 10   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Šamonil, Pavel 7 ; Rybníček, Michal 8 ; Stojanović, Marko 10   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Svoboda, Jan 2 ; Svoboda, Miroslav 6 ; Vašíčková, Iva 7 

 Faculty of Science, Charles University , Prague, Czech Republic 
 Czech Geological Survey , Prague, Czech Republic 
 Czech Academy of Sciences , Institute of Botany, Třeboň, Czech Republic; Faculty of Forestry and Wood Science, Czech University of Life Sciences , Prague, Czech Republic 
 Czech Academy of Sciences , Institute of Botany, Třeboň, Czech Republic; University of South Bohemia , Faculty of Science, České Budějovice, Czech Republic 
 Forestry and Game Management Research Institute , Strnady, Czech Republic 
 Faculty of Forestry and Wood Science, Czech University of Life Sciences , Prague, Czech Republic 
 Department of Forest Ecology, Landscape Research Institute , Brno, Czech Republic 
 Mendel University , Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Brno, Czech Republic; Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Brno, Czech Republic 
 Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Brno, Czech Republic; Mendel University , Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Brno, Czech Republic 
10  Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Brno, Czech Republic 
First page
084033
Publication year
2025
Publication date
Aug 2025
Publisher
IOP Publishing
e-ISSN
17489326
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3227306697
Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd. This work is published under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.