Introduction and Factors Influencing the Seasonal Growth of Trees

1.7 Conclusions and Discussion

We described the aim of this book as “to introduce the way of thinking about the environmental control of tree-ring variability in conifers that is expressed clearly in its title: Growth dynamics of conifer tree rings: images of past and future environments”. In particular, we noted that this is not a textbook of tree developmental biology, but rather an exposition of the thinking behind the simulation models of conifer tree-ring growth described in later chapters. In that thinking, a central role is accorded to the vascular cambium.

The brief analysis in this chapter has shown that the seasonal growth of woody plants depends on both internal and external factors. During seasonal growth, the genetic features of different species of woody plants and their age come into play. The processes of production and differentiation of cells in apical and secondary meristems are coordinated. Their intensity is influenced by a complex of more or less stable operating factors, such as geographical position, climate, and soil, as well as variable factors, such as weather conditions, moisture in soil, and mineral supply. The spectrum of factors influencing growth in woody plants is no doubt wider than considered by us here. Further discussion may be found in a number of more general books (Fritts 1976; Hughes et al 1982; Schweingruber 1988, 1996; Cook and Kairiukstis 1990; Bitvinskas 1974; Antanaitis and Zagreev 1981; Shiyatov 1986; Vaganov et al. 1985, 1996d). We have limited our discussion to the illustration of the influence of major factors so as to help the reader understand approaches to modeling seasonal growth and tree-ring structure, and realizing these as algorithms and computer programs.