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Evaluation of the forest growth model SILVA along an elevational gradient in Switzerland

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Abstract

The semi-empirical single-tree model SILVA 2.2 has been developed and parameterised using forest research and inventory data from Germany that range from the colline to the montane zone. The focus of the model evaluation presented in this study was to test the applicability of the model for the main Swiss forest types and at elevations ranging from the colline to the upper subalpine zone. To this end, SILVA was initialized using data from long-term forest yield research plots. The results at the end of the 30-year simulation were compared with observed data. The analysis of the results at each test site showed that there were no significant differences in model performance between forest types. However, the deviation between simulated and observed growth depended strongly on the elevational zone, i.e., on climate. As expected, the best results were found in the colline zone, for which the model had been calibrated, whereas the upper subalpine sites revealed the strongest differences. The quality of the data regarding forest structure that were available for model initialization had a strong impact on the simulation results, mainly at high-elevation zones (i.e., supalpine and upper subalpine). We conclude that SILVA 2.2 is a suitable tool to estimate the development of single trees and standing volume for a large fraction of the forests in Switzerland. However, extreme climate conditions should be avoided with the model, and the availability of detailed stand structure information is a key priority that has a strong effect on the quality of the simulation results.

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Notes

  1. Days with a mean temperature of at least 10°C.

  2. Difference between the highest and the lowest monthly mean temperature of the year.

  3. May to September, not consistent with DT10 (duration of vegetation period).

  4. MeteoSwiss is the national weather service of Switzerland.

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Acknowledgements

This study is part of the project “Carbon Pools and Fluxes in Swiss Forests: A Quantitative Assessment for the Present and the 21th Century” and has been funded by the Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forests, and Landscape (BUWAL). We thank Ralf Moshammer (TU München) for support during large-scale simulation runs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, ETH Zürich, Forest Ecology, Rämistrasse 101, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland

    Stéphanie Schmid & Harald Bugmann

  2. Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

    Andreas Zingg

  3. Chair of Forest Yield Science, Technische Universität München, Am Hochanger 13, 85354, Freising, Germany

    Peter Biber

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  1. Stéphanie Schmid
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  2. Andreas Zingg
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  3. Peter Biber
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  4. Harald Bugmann
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Correspondence to Harald Bugmann.

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Communicated by Hans Pretzsch

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Schmid, S., Zingg, A., Biber, P. et al. Evaluation of the forest growth model SILVA along an elevational gradient in Switzerland. Eur J Forest Res 125, 43–55 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-005-0076-4

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