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Repeated spring precipitation shortage alters individual growth patterns in Scots pine forests in the Western Alps

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In the inner-Alpine Aosta Valley, severe growth reductions occurred in Scots pine stands during 1987–1993 and 2003–2005. Trees more sensitive to May precipitation exhibited stronger growth decline during these periods.

Abstract

Over the last decades, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) decline has involved large areas in the European Alps. Although the species is supposed to be drought resistant, increased temperatures and droughts are often indicated as predisposing causes of the decline. Nevertheless, the exact climate conditions that initiate the decline, and the reasons why they differentially affect individual trees, are largely unknown. Our aims were to identify climate constraints on Scots pine growth, and elucidate the effect of individual characteristics, such as tree age, size, crown condition, mistletoe occurrence, competition, and sensitivity to climate, on tree growth decline and recovery after repeated climatic stress. We analysed 232 trees in four second-growth stands located at 985–1350 m a.s.l. in the inner-Alpine Aosta Valley, NW Italy. Multi-year growth declines, occurred in 1987–1993 and 2003–2005, were related to repeated May precipitation shortage, while temperatures and summer precipitations played a minor role. Growth decline was stronger in the stand at lower elevation and with higher competition intensity. At the individual scale, trees more sensitive to May precipitation exhibited lower growth rates during both dry periods, but not a faster recovery. In the lower elevation stand, tree growth decline was significantly related to both crown transparency and mistletoe abundance, which was almost absent in the other stands. We conclude that future variations in the spring precipitation regime could threaten Scots pine more than warming per se, in inner-Alpine valleys around 1000–1400 m a.s.l. Still, different individual sensitivity to precipitation will likely result in patchy patterns of healthy and declining trees within the same stand.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Anna Battiston, Roberta Berretti, Fabio Meloni, Emanuele Lingua, Luana Giordano, Cinzia Saponeri, Enrico Mazzetto, and Matthias Dobbertin, whom sadly passed away in 2012, for all suggestions, assistance with data collection, and processing of tree ring samples. Funding and logistic support was provided by Fondazione CRT—Progetto Alfieri 2004–2005 “Le foreste di protezione della Valle d’Aosta”, European Commission, Piedmont Region (Direzione Opere Pubbliche, Difesa del Suolo, Economia Montana e Foreste), Aosta Valley Region (Direzione Foreste) and Canton Valais (Services des Forêts et du Paysage)—Progetto EU Interreg IIIA 2000–2006 Italy-Switzerland “Le pinete delle vallate alpine: un elemento del paesaggio in mutazione”. D.C. was supported by the University of Padua (Research Project D320.PRGR13001, Senior Research Grants 2012). A.B. was supported by USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, University of Minnesota, and NE Climate Science Center—US Department of the Interior.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department TeSAF, University of Padua, Viale dell’Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, PD, Italy

    D. Castagneri

  2. Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    A. Bottero

  3. USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Grand Rapids, MN, 55744, USA

    A. Bottero

  4. Department DISAFA, University of Turin, 10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy

    R. Motta & G. Vacchiano

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  1. D. Castagneri
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  3. R. Motta
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  4. G. Vacchiano
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Correspondence to D. Castagneri.

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Communicated by G. Wieser.

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468_2015_1250_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Supplementary material Fig. 1 Bootstrap correlation coefficients between the four stand chronologies and climate variables from May of the previous year to September of the ring formation year. Dark bars indicate correlation coefficients significant at p < 0.05 (PDF 202 kb)

468_2015_1250_MOESM2_ESM.pdf

Supplementary material Fig. 2 April, June, July and August climate anomalies in 1987–1993, 1994–1998, and 2003–2005 relative to the reference period 1965–2005 (equal to 1). TEMP = temperature, PRCP = precipitation, P/PET = ratio between precipitation and potential evapotranspiration, PDSI = self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index, SPEI = Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (PDF 236 kb)

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Castagneri, D., Bottero, A., Motta, R. et al. Repeated spring precipitation shortage alters individual growth patterns in Scots pine forests in the Western Alps. Trees 29, 1699–1712 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-015-1250-z

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