| title: | Impact of climate change on coniferous stands and growth conditions |
|---|---|
| reg no: | ETF5987 |
| project type: | Estonian Science Foundation research grant |
| subject: |
4.3. Sylviculture, Forestry |
| status: | accepted |
| institution: | Research Institute of Forestry at EAU |
| head of project: | Henn Pärn |
| duration: | 01.01.2004 - 31.12.2007 |
| description: | Climate and the environment of the Earth is under increasing pressure of anthropogenic activity that is likely to provoke the climate warming, frequent droughts and other stresses that decrease the stability of forest ecosystems. Many recent projects on different tree species and regions of Europe and North America showed long-term variations of tree growth and site productivity. The case studies reported consistent increasing trends in general height growth, as well as diameter growth of different tree species in Central and Western Europe. The altered growth conditions affect the genetic composition of forest stands and nutrient cycling, the ultimate pre-requisite of the balanced plant nutrition. Litter decomposition is an important link in cycling procecces as the source of the majority of the nutrients taken up annually by plants. The lack of knowledge about the growth of forests in changing conditions is emphasized frequently in literature. According to the forest inventory data site index of Estonian forests was found to have increased during the last decades. The increasing trends in air temperature and precipitation, detected in meteorological time series in Estonia may be partly responsible for the annual increase of tree growth. The primary goal of the proposed project is to study i) the trends in the radial growth of coniferous stands under the possible impact of the climate change and ii) the impact of warming and increased precipitation on the forest litter decomposition. Results of the study should show trends in site conditions and in growth of economically important coniferous stands. A better understanding of altered growth conditions may be useful for planning of forest regeneration, for adjusting thinning regimes and final cutting strategies, and for forest policy makers to ensure continuous sustainable management. |
| project group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no | name | institution | position | |
| 1. | Ivika Aasa | Eesti Kiirguskeskus | spetsialist | |
| 2. | Malle Mandre | EPMÜ MUI Ökofüsioloogia osakond | juhataja | |
| 3. | Henn Pärn | Research Institute of Forestry at EAU | senior research scientist | |