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Seasonal dynamics of wood formation in Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) along an altitudinal gradient in the Hyrcanian forest, Iran

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Abstract

The cambium dynamics and wood formation of Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) was investigated during the 2008 growing season in the Nowshahr Hyrcanian forest, Iran (36°N, 51°E). Three study sites were selected along an altitudinal gradient (650, 1,100 and 1,600 m a.s.l.), and cambial activity rates of cell formation and cell maturation were studied on micro-cores collected in intervals of 10–20 days. The cambium reactivation of the low-altitude (L) and mid-altitude (M) trees occurred contemporaneously in late March, and also the consecutive phases of cell differentiation took place almost at the same time; however, the entry into cambial dormancy varied considerably from late August to mid-November. Due to lower temperature, the upper-altitude (U) trees showed a 10-day delay in their cambium reactivation, an earlier entry into cambium dormancy (mid-September) and a slower growth rate resulting in narrower tree rings. Despite these differences, the daily increment rates of the trees at all sites reached maximum values coincidently in the early June. Since the photoperiod is the only common external factor among different sites, it is concluded that the timing of the highest growth rate is controlled by the photoperiod.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Dr. Jeong-Wook Seo, Hamburg, for his technical assistance. We also thank the DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst) to fund a 6-month stay of the first author at the Universities of Erlangen-Nuremberg and Hamburg (Germany) to get familiar with the “micro-coring” method.

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Correspondence to Reza Oladi.

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Communicated by E. Beck.

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Oladi, R., Pourtahmasi, K., Eckstein, D. et al. Seasonal dynamics of wood formation in Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) along an altitudinal gradient in the Hyrcanian forest, Iran. Trees 25, 425–433 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-010-0517-7

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