Effect of rapidly changing meteorological parameters on over-matured Scots pine tree growth in Aukštaitija National Park

Abstract

Increasing trends in forest growth have been reported in Central Europe recently. A lot of environmental variables have been hypothesized to increase the net primary productivity, however mostly weather variation has a major response to these changes. Therefore, in present study we hypothise, that the increase in pine tree radial increment in Auk taitija national parks is related to warming dormant and more humid vegetation periods. Obtained data revealed that rapidly increasing trend in basal area increment by 67 mm2 per year (p<0.05) of pre-dominant and –matured pine trees diameter of which at breast height exceeded 50 cm and age 150 year are mostly attributed to the wormer first half of the dormant period and precipitation amount of July – August, mainly of the previous year. Created multiple regression model revealed that mean temperature of dormant period of current year and period from July to August current and previous year together with precipitation amount of September through December of two years as well as precipitation over January – April and July – August periods explained more than 60% variation in pre-dominant and -matured pine basal area increment.