Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Ecological background of crown condition, growth and nutritional status of Picea abies (L.) Karst. in the Bavarian Alps

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
European Journal of Forest Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Using a representative sample of stands from a cross section through the Bavarian portion of the northern Calcareous Alps, this study evaluates the plausibility and significance of causal hypotheses for an explanation of the poor crown condition of Norway spruce in mountain forests: (1) ozone exposure in conjunction with (a) drought and (b) ample water supply; (2) soil-borne nutrient deficiency; (3) drought; and (4) tree age. Site index and, in a subset of stands, foliar nutrient concentrations are considered as additional indicators of tree vigour. According to principal component analysis and multiple regression, crown condition was controlled by soil chemistry (transparency increased towards shallow calcareous soils), stand age and, to a smaller degree, by an interaction between ozone exposure and drought. Site index was best explained by a model including elevation, soil chemistry and drought. Tree nutrition clearly reflected the main soil chemical gradient, and P, N and Fe deficiencies were found in transparent stands, which had markedly smaller needles. The similar distributions of crown transparency, site index and nutrition present a strong argument for the hypothesis that soil chemistry has constrained the vigour of spruce trees in the Calcareous Alps for a long time. By leaving unproductive stands to age naturally, forest management has accentuated the pattern of crown condition. In the heterogeneous alpine landscape, possible effects of recent increases in ozone exposure have to be viewed extremely carefully against the background of these natural and anthropogenic covariables.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anonymous (1983) Geologische Übersichtskarte 1:200 000, Blatt CC 8726 Kempten (Allgäu). Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften, Hannover

  • Anonymous (1996a) Klimaatlas von Bayern. Bayerischer Klimaforschungsverbund, München

  • Anonymous (1996b) Forstliche Standortsaufnahme, 5th edn. IHW, Eching

  • Anonymous (1997) Waldzustandsbericht 1997. Bayerische Landesanstalt für Wald und Forstwirtschaft, Freising

  • Anonymous (1999) SPSS für Windows Release 9.0.1 (11 Mar 1999). SPSS Inc.

  • Beers TW, Dress PE, Wensel LC (1966) Aspect transformation in site productivity research. J For 64:691–692

    Google Scholar 

  • Bosch C (1986) Standorts- und ernährungskundliche Untersuchungen zu den Erkrankungen der Fichte (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) in höheren Gebirgslagen. Forstliche Forschungsberichte 75, München

  • Dobbertin M (1996) Relationship beween basal area increment, tree crown defoliation and tree and site variables. In: Proceedings of the IUFRO Conference on Effects of environmental factors on tree and stand growth, Berggieshüber/Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, pp 33–44

  • Dobson MC, Taylor G, Freer-Smith PH (1990) The control of ozone uptake by Picea abies (L.) Karst and Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr. during drought and interacting effects on shoot water relations. New Phytol 116:465–474

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellenberg H (1995) Allgemeines Waldsterben—ein Konstrukt? Bedenken eines Ökologen gegen Methoden der Schadenserfassung. Naturwiss Rundsch 48:93–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Ewald J (1997) Die Bergmischwälder der Bayerischen Alpen—Soziologie, Standortbindung und Verbreitung. Dissertation bot 290, Cramer, Berlin

  • Ewald J (1999) Soziologie und Standortbindung subalpiner Fichtenwälder in den Bayerischen Alpen. Tuexenia 19:107–125

    Google Scholar 

  • Ewald J, Reuther M (1999) Gradienten von Vegetation und Standort und ihre Beziehungen zum Kronenzustand von Bergwäldern in den Bayerischen Alpen. Verh Ges Ökol 29:39–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Ewald J, Reuther M, Nechwatal J, Lang K (2000) Monitoring von Schäden in Waldökosystemen des bayerischen Alpenraumes. Materialien 155, Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Landesentwicklung u. Umweltfragen, München

  • Flückiger W, Braun S (1995) Revitalization of an alpine protective forest by fertilization. Plant Soil 168:481–488

    Google Scholar 

  • Franz F, Preuhsler T, Röhle H (1987) Vitalitätsmerkmale und Zuwachsreaktionen erkrankter Bergwaldbestände im Bayerischen Alpenraum. Allg Forstz 41:962–964

    Google Scholar 

  • Freyer K (1986) Forstliche Standortskartierung im Hochgebirge. Allg Forstztg 39:967–969

    Google Scholar 

  • Gulder H-J, Kölbel M (1993) Waldbodeninventur in Bayern. Forstliche Forschungsberichte, München, p 132

  • Haupolter M (1999) Zustand von Bergwäldern in den nördlichen Kalkalpen Tirols und daraus ableitbare Empfehlungen für eine nachhaltige Bewirtschaftung. Diss, University of Bodenkultur, Wien

  • Hüttl RF (1991) Die Nährelementversorgung geschädigter Wälder in Europa und Nordamerika. Freiburger Bodenkundl Abhandlungen, Freiburg, p 28

  • Kennel E (1990) Übersicht über neuartige Schäden im Bergwald und zeitliche Entwicklung. Forstwiss Forsch 40:66–79

    Google Scholar 

  • Klap J, Voshaar JO, de Vries W, Erisman JW (1997) Relationship between crown condition and stress factors. In: Anonymous (ed) Ten years of monitoring forest condition in Europe. UN/ECE, Brussels, pp 277–307

  • Lang H (1991) Die abhängigkeit des Wachstums der Fichte von standortskundlichen Parametern im Nationalpark Berchtesgaden. Diploma Thesis, LMU München, München

  • Liu JC, Payer HD (1995) Ernährungszustand der Fichten am Wank. GSF-Bericht 18/(95):7–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu JC, Payer HD (1996) AOT doses of ambient ozone accelerate green needle losses in an alpine stand of Norway spruce. In: Kärenlämpi L, Skärby L (eds) Critical levels for ozone in Europe. UN-ECE Workshop Report, Kuoipo, pp 249–255

    Google Scholar 

  • Maier-Maercker U, Koch W (1991) Experiments on the control capacity of stomata of Picea abies (L.) Karst. after fumignation with ozone and in environmentally damaged material. Plant Cell Environ 14:175–184

    Google Scholar 

  • Maier-Maercker U, Koch W (1995) Poor stomatal control of water balance and the abscission of green needles from a declining stand of spruce trees [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] from the northern Alps. Trees 10:63–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Matyssek R, Havranek WM, Wieser G, Innes JL (1997) Ozone and the forests in Austria and Switzerland. In: Sandermann H et al (eds) Forest decline and ozone. Ecological studies vol 127. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 95–134

  • Paffrath D, Peters W (1988) Betrachtung der Ozonverteilung im Zusammenhang mit neuartigen Waldschäden. Forstwiss Centralbl 107:152–159

    Google Scholar 

  • Polle A, Mössnang M, von Schönborn A, Sladkovic R, Rennenberg H (1992) Field studies on Norway spruce trees at high altitudes. I. Mineral, pigment and soluble protein contents of needles as affected by climate and pollution. New Phytol 121:89–99

    Google Scholar 

  • Rehfuess K-E (1995) Gefährdung der Wälder in Mitteleuropa durch Luftschadstoffe und Möglichkeiten der Revitalisierung durch Düngung. Ber Reinhold-Tüxen-Ges 7:141–156

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomsen MG, Nellemann C (1994) Isolation of natural factors affecting crown density and crown color in coniferous forest: implications for monitoring of forest decline. Ambio 23:251–254

    Google Scholar 

  • Vacik H, Lexer MJ (1998) Indentifizierung von Standorts—und Bestandesmerkmalen auf die Kronenverlichtung von Picea abies (L.) Karst. als Grundlage waldbaulicher Planung. Forstarchiv 69:27–34

    Google Scholar 

  • Walentowski H, Gulder H-J, Kölling C, Ewald J, Türk W (2001) Die regionale natürliche Waldzusammensetzung Bayerns. Berichte aus der Bayerischen Landesanstalt für Wald und Forstwirtschaft, Freising, p 32

  • Webster R, Rigling A, Walthert L (1996) An analysis of tree crown condition in relation to environment in Switzerland. Forestry 4:347–355

    Google Scholar 

  • Whittaker J (1984) Model interpretation from the additive elements of the likelihood function. Appl Stat 33:52–64

    Google Scholar 

  • Zech W (1969) Besonderheiten im Ernährungszustand chlorotischer Fichten auf kalkreichen Böden. Forstwiss Centralbl 88:1–9

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the Bavarian Ministry of Land Development and the Environment for funding this research and to the Bavarian State Forest Administration for providing access to forest inventory data and for training surveying teams. I also appreciate the contributions of Karl-Eugen Rehfuess, Markus Reuther, Andreas Vogel, Ariane Schaub, Rita Heibl, Michael Englschall and Ilse Süß.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Science and Forestry, Fachhochschule Weihenstephan, University of Applied Sciences, Am Hochanger 5, 85354, Freising-Weihenstephen, Germany

    J. Ewald

Authors
  1. J. Ewald
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Ewald.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ewald, J. Ecological background of crown condition, growth and nutritional status of Picea abies (L.) Karst. in the Bavarian Alps. Eur J Forest Res 124, 9–18 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-004-0051-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-004-0051-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation