Response of radial growth of three common tree species to climate change in a spruce-fir mixed stand in Changbai Mountain of northeastern China

  Objective  Climate factors affect tree growth and development, and the relationship between tree radial growth and climate factors was analyzed to explore the response of spruce-fir coniferous and broadleaved mixed forest ecosystem to climate change in Changbai Mountain of northeastern China, so as to provide scientific basis for natural forest management in this area.

  Method  In this study, we used dendrochronological techniques to sample tree-ring cores of Abies nephrolepis, Picea jezoensis and Pinus koraiensis, which were the common tree species in the spruce-fir mixed stand in Wangqing County, Jilin Province of northeastern China in 2019. We developed tree-ring width chronologies of three conifers and conducted growth-climate relationship analyses to reveal the influence of climate factors on tree radial growth.

  Result  The mean sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio of the three tree species were 0.16−0.27 and 6.14−19.98. Among them, A. nephrolepis contained more climate information, and its average sensitivity, standard deviation, signal-to-noise ratio, and overall sample representativeness were all higher than those of P. jezoensis and P. koraiensis. The average temperature in September of the previous year and the minimum temperature in July of the previous year and the current year were significantly positively correlated with the radial growth of three tree species (P < 0.05), indicating that climate had a similar effect on the ring width growth in the same area. The responses had a certain similarity. However, the response of radial growth of the three conifers to climate change was different too. The radial growth of A. nephrolepis was affected by the combined effect of temperature and precipitation, while the radial growth of P. jezoensis and P. koraiensis was mainly restricted by temperature. After abrupt temperature rising (1985), the radial growth of the three tree species had an enhanced correlation with temperature but a weakened correlation with precipitation, and the radial growth of trees increased significantly.

  Conclusion  The response of radial growth of different tree species to climate change has both similarities and differences, The increase in temperature may still be within the critical threshold of radial growth of A. nephrolepis, P. jezoensis and P. koraiensis, so climate warming promotes their radial growth.