Abstract
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Distinct species-specific differences were found in the response to temperature, precipitation and the self-calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index that are confirmed by pointer year analyzes and superposed epoch analyzes.
Abstract
Trees in urban environments are exposed to heat stress, low air humidity and soil drought. The increasing temperatures and the more frequent heat and drought events will intensify the stress level of urban trees. We applied a dendrochronological approach to evaluate the species-specific suitability under increasing risk of drought of five tree species at highly sealed urban sites in the city of Dresden (Germany). Climate-growth correlation analyses show that temperatures and water availability from April to July in the current year and in summer and autumn of the previous year are the main determining factors for radial growth. However, distinct species-specific differences were found in the response to temperature, precipitation and the self-calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index. During the study period, the influence of temperature and drought on radial growth during summer months increases for Acer platanoides and Acer pseudoplatanus, whereas no changes occurred for Quercus petraea, Quercus rubra, and P. × hispanica. Pointer year analysis and superposed epoch analyses revealed a species-specific response to extreme climatic events. While for A. platanoides and A. pseudoplatanus a higher number of negative pointer years and significant growth declines in drought years were found, Q. petraea and Q. rubra showed more frequent positive pointer years but no significant growth reductions during drought. Based on these response patterns we classified the studied tree species according to their suitability and drought tolerance for urban sites.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Erik Fritzsche for his assistance during data collection. We extend our thanks to the staff members of offices for Municipal Affairs (Amt für Stadtgrün und Abfallwirtschaft Dresden) and in particular Mr. Steffen Löbel for their administrative support, helpful information and logistic maintenance during the fieldwork. This study was realised with financial support from the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) in the project REGKLAM (http://www.regklam.de).
Conflict of interest
Research funder: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) Grant number: 01 LR 0802.
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Gillner, S., Bräuning, A. & Roloff, A. Dendrochronological analysis of urban trees: climatic response and impact of drought on frequently used tree species. Trees 28, 1079–1093 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-014-1019-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-014-1019-9