plots
in
Spain
:
atmospheric
deposition

Research
 activity
 on
 Level
II
plots
comprises
visual
assessment
of
crown
condition,
soil
and
 soil
 solution
 analysis,
 foliar
 nutrient
 contents,
 forest
 growth
 and
 increment,
 atmospheric
 deposition,
 including
 passive
 sampling
 of
 air
 pollutants,
 meteorological
 monitoring
 and
 phenology,
 inventory
 of
 ground
 vegetation,
 visual
 ozone
 injury
 assessment,
 and
 other
 studies
related
to
biodiversity,
vitality
and
climate
change.

The
 main
 objectives
 of
 the
 deposition
 measurements
are
to
obtain
an
accurate
knowledge
 about
the
deposition
process
in
forest
ecosystems
and
to
give
information
for
the
mapping
 of
 critical
loads.
Samples
obtained
in
throughfall
and
stemflow
collectors
supply
long
series
 of
 data
 about
 pH,
 conductivity,
 base
 cations,
 several
 anions,
 alkalinity
and
N
total.
Also
Al,
 Mn,
Fe
and
heavy
metals
are
analyzed.
There
are
available
data
from
1997,
on
average
in
15‐

day
periods.

Results
 show
 the
 variation
in
the
atmospheric
deposition
data
assessed
in
13
Spanish
plots,
 ranging
 from
 a
 wet
 temperate
 northwestern
 forest
 on
 acidic
 subtract
 (Galicia)
 to
 arid
 Mediterranean
 pure
 calcareous
 ecosystems
 (Alicante).
 The
 analysis
 of
 the
 results
 links
 the
 short‐term
 meteorological
 data
 variations,
mainly
rainfall
and
temperature,
with
vegetation
 cover,
 taking
 account
 quality
 and
 quantity
 of
 atmospheric
 deposition
 in
 several
 elements,
 studying
 in
 addition
 variation
 in
 time
 and
 possible
 trends
 in
 a
 possible
 climate
 change
 scenario.

INIA‐
CIFOR,
Spain

87 Corresponding
author:
Minaya,
Mayte
(minaya@inia.es)

In:
Kaennel
Dobbertin,
M.
(Ed)
2009.
Long‐term
ecosystem
research:
Understanding
the
present
to
shape
the
future.

Int.
Conference
Zurich,
Switzerland,
7‐10
Sept
2009.
Abstracts.
Birmensdorf,
Swiss
Federal
Research
Institute
WSL.
118
pp.

Level
II
plots
in
Spain
:
atmospheric
deposition

Poster
session

1900

Daniel
Lawrence
Morovitz,
Hans‐Peter
Dietrich

A
 literature
 analysis
 of
 annual
 estimates
 on
 the
 spatial
 and
 temporal
 variability
 of
 mast
 production
for
Norway
Spruce
and
European
Beech
trees
in
Bavaria
was
carried
out
for
the
 years
 1893–2008.
 The
 major
 objective
 of
 the
 study
 is
 to
 detect
 climate
 change
 effects
 on
 forests
and
the
influence
of
reproduction
on
their
growth
and
vitality
measured
in
the
long‐

term
forest
monitoring
program
in
Bavaria
(Level
II).

Over
the
115
year
time
span
of
the
analysis
four
literary
sources
were
used
in
order
to
create
 the
timeline
which
clearly
shows
how
masting
behavior
changes
over
time
and
space
in
the
 genetic
provenances
of
Bavaria.
In
the
literature,
the
production
of
mast
has
been
shown
to be
dependent
on
climatic
variables
during
the
previous
and
current
year
of
a
masting
event
 and
the
timeline
can
be
used
to
make
cautious
inferences
about
weather
patterns.
Although the
 climatic
 conditions
 which
 induce
 masting
 are
 complex
 and
 vary
 among
 tree
 species,
 generalizations
can
be
made.
A
warm
and
dry
climate
in
the
previous
growing
season
during bud
 development
 can
 trigger
 a
 masting
 event
 in
 addition
 to
 a
 lack
 of
 damage
 from
 frost
 damage
 in
 spring
 plus
 warm,
 dry
 and
 windy
conditions
during
the
time
of
pollination.
As
a
 result
 of
 the
 increase
 in
 temperatures
 during
 the
 last
 20
 years
 it
 is
 not
surprising
that
the
 timeline
shows
an
increase
in
the
production
of
mast
since
the
early
1990s
for
both
Norway
 spruce
 and
 European
 beech.
 The
 timeline
 also
 shows
 a
 notable
 absence
 in
 the
 mast
 production
 for
 European
 beech
 in
 southern
 Bavaria
 from
 the
 1960s
 to
 the
 late
 1980s.
 A
 similar
decrease
in
mast
production
for
Norway
spruce
was
also
seen
but
only
starting
during the
1970s.

Although
 the
 quality
 of
 the
data
throughout
the
years
has
significantly
improved,
the
early
 values
 for
 the
 timeline
 should
 be
 cautiously
 interpreted
 as
 the
 format,
 methodology,
 and
 changing
 provenance
 borders
 of
 the
 masting
 reports
 have
 changed
 a
 number
 of
 times
 throughout
 the
 time
 span,
 thus
 causing
 some
 inaccuracies.
 Additionally,
 values
 for
 the
 timeline
 are
 generalizations
 for
 sometimes
 very
 large
 geographic
 regions
 and
 may
 not
 be
 representative
for
every
location
inside
the
provenance.

Despite
 these
 shortcomings,
 the
 timeline
 value
 in
 displaying
 masting
 data
 for
 such
 an
 unprecedented
 time
 frame
 is
 unquestionable
 and
 timelines
 of
 this
 length
 and
 geographic
 detail
 are
 not
 often
 found
 in
the
literature.
Data
from
this
timeline
will
be
especially
useful
 for
 those
 studying
 climate
 change
 effects
 on
forests,
forest
growth
and
animal
population
 dynamics.

Hans‐Peter
Dietrich

Daniel
Lawrence
 Morovitz

LWF,
Freising,
Germany

Corresponding
author:
Dietrich,
Hans‐Peter
(hans‐peter.dietrich@lwf.bayern.de)

Spatial
and
temporal
variation
in
mast
production
estimates
in
Bavaria in
1893–2008
as
an
indicator
for
climate
change

88 Poster
session

In:
Kaennel
Dobbertin,
M.
(Ed)
2009.
Long‐term
ecosystem
research:
Understanding
the
present
to
shape
the
future.

Int.
Conference
Zurich,
Switzerland,
7‐10
Sept
2009.
Abstracts.
Birmensdorf,
Swiss
Federal
Research
Institute
WSL.
118
pp.

Radek
Novotný,
Vít
Šrámek,
Bohumír
Lomský

Forests
 in
 the
 Czech
 Republic
 were
 significantly
 influenced
 by
 the
 anthropogenic
 air
 pollution.
The
negative
influence
of
industrial
production
and
electricity
production
based
on fossil
 fuels
 resulted
 in
 vast
 damage
 to
 forest
ecosystems.
The
decline
peaked
in
the
1980s,
 mainly
 in
 the
 northern
 mountain
 regions
 –
 Ore
 Mountains,
 Lužické
 Mountains,
 Iser
 Mountains
or
Adler
Mountains.

Regular
 assessment
 of
 defoliation
 and
 nutrition
 of
young
Norway
spruce
stands
in
the
Ore
 Mountains
 was
 initiated
 in
 1994.
 The
 main
 goal
 was
 to
 evaluate
 potential
 risks
 of
 sudden
 changes
 in
 large
 areas
 of
 even‐aged
 forests
 growing
 in
 regions
historically
damaged
by
air
 pollution,
regularly
influenced
by
climatic
stresses
and
also
stressed
by
low
forest
soil
quality.

The
survey
is
currently
carried
out
on
20
plots
in
the
mountain
range
area
along
a
transect
of more
than
120
km.

The
 article
 presents
the
results
of
defoliation
and
nutrient
contents
for
the
period
of
1994–

2008.
It
includes
the
evaluation
of
trends
and
prognoses
of
future
development.
The
results
 show
 slight
 positive
 effects
 on
 crown
 defoliation
 and
 the
 decreasing
 influence
 of
 sulphur
 dioxide.
On
the
other
hand,
problems
with
potassium,
phosphorus
or
magnesium
may
occur
 in
some
locations
in
the
future.

Bohumír
Lomský

Radek
Novotný

Vit
Šrámek Forestry
and
Game
Management
Research
Institute,
Czech
Republic

89 Corresponding
author:
Novotný,
Radek
(novotny@vulhm.cz)

In:
Kaennel
Dobbertin,
M.
(Ed)
2009.
Long‐term
ecosystem
research:
Understanding
the
present
to
shape
the
future.

Int.
Conference
Zurich,
Switzerland,
7‐10
Sept
2009.
Abstracts.
Birmensdorf,
Swiss
Federal
Research
Institute
WSL.
118
pp.

Vitality
and
nutrition
of
the
young
Norway
spruce
stands
in
the
Ore
Mountains

Poster
session

1260

Walter
Oberhuber,
Andreas
Gruber

Radial
growth
indices
of
trees
are
valuable
long‐term
proxy‐data
of
tree
vitality.
Several
tree ring
 studies
 conducted
 in
 dry
 inner
 Alpine
 valleys
 have
 shown
 that
 precipitation
 in
 spring
 limits
 increment
 growth
 of
Pinus
 sylvestris
 and
 severe
 drought
 during
 the
 growing
season
 results
 in
 abrupt
 growth
 reductions
 and
 increased
 tree
 mortality
of
less
competitive
trees.


However,
 within
 the
 dry
 inner
 Alpine
 valley
 of
 the
 Inn
 river
 (Tyrol,
 Austria;
 mean
 annual
 precipitation
 and
 temperature
 716
 mm
 and
 7.3°C,
 respectively)
 the
 record‐breaking
 heat‐

wave
 in
 summer
 2003
 had
 minor
 impact
 on
 tree
 growth.
 Therefore,
 repeated
 cellular
 analyses
 of
 cambial
 dynamics
 and
 xylogenesis
 were
 conducted
to
identify
the
time
period,
 when
 climate
 factors
 primarily
 limit
 wood
 formation
 and
 cause
 reduced
 tree
 vigor.
 Wood
 formation
 dynamics
 was
 monitored
 by
 repeatedly
 taking
 small
 punched
 cores
 of
 the
 outermost
tree
rings
(microcores)
in
weekly
to
10
day
intervals.
Additionally,
long‐term
study plots
 were
 established
at
two
sites
differing
in
soil
moisture
characteristics,
i.e.,
a
xeric
and
 dry‐mesic
site,
to
focus
on
response
of
Pinus
sylvestris
to
short‐term
(intra‐annual)
and
long‐

term
 (inter‐annual)
 dynamics
 and
 changes
 of
 meteorological
 variables
 and
 to
 assess
 the
 impact
 of
 lag
 effects
 of
 both,
 favourable
 and
 unfavourable
 climate
 conditions,
 on
 tree
 growth.

First
 results
 obtained
 in
 2007
 and
 2008
 revealed
 that
 (i)
Pinus
 sylvestris
 shows
 a
 high
 interannual
 variability
 in
 onset
 of
 cambial
 activity,
 varying
 from
 early
 to
 late
 April
 and
 (ii)
 maximum
daily
growth
rates
were
reached
about
2
weeks
earlier
at
the
xeric
than
at
the
dry‐

mesic
 site,
 peaking
 at
 the
 former
 site
 around
 early
 and
 mid
 May
 in
 2007
 and
 2008,
 respectively.
We
assume
that
start
of
wood
formation
is
triggered
by
air
temperature
in
early spring,
whereas
temporal
dynamics
of
xylem
development
is
controlled
by
water
availability throughout
the
growing
season.

Climate
warming
is
expected
to
cause
an
increase
in
the
frequency
and
intensity
of
drought
 periods
throughout
the
growing
season
and
changes
in
the
seasonal
precipitation
pattern
in the
future.
Therefore,
a
combination
of
intra‐annual
wood
anatomical
studies
and
long‐term monitoring
of
stem
growth
is
required
to
evaluate
plasticity
of
radial
growth
(onset,
period
 of
 maximum
 growth,
 duration)
 to
 changing
 climate
conditions
and
to
detect
lag
effects
of
 climate
 extremes
 (e.g.,
 heat
 waves,
 drought,
 moist
 winter‐spring
 periods)
 on
 tree
 growth
 and
mortality
within
dry
inner
Alpine
valleys.

Andreas
Gruber

Walter
Oberhuber

University
of
Innsbruck,
Austria

Corresponding
author:
Oberhuber,
Walter
(walter.oberhuber@uibk.ac.at)

Combining
long‐
and
short‐term
approaches
to
evaluate
impact
of
climate
change
on
growth
 and
mortality
of
Pinus
sylvestris
in
an
inner
Alpine
dry
valley

90 Poster
session

In:
Kaennel
Dobbertin,
M.
(Ed)
2009.
Long‐term
ecosystem
research:
Understanding
the
present
to
shape
the
future.

Int.
Conference
Zurich,
Switzerland,
7‐10
Sept
2009.
Abstracts.
Birmensdorf,
Swiss
Federal
Research
Institute
WSL.
118
pp.

Rock
Ouimet,
Louis
Duchesne,
Catherine
Périé,
Daniel
Houle,
Sylvie
Tremblay

The
 Quebec
 Forest
 Ecosystem
 Study
 and
 Monitoring
 Network
 was
 initiated
 in
 1986
 when
 sugar
 maple
 dieback
 was
 observed
 in
 many
 forest
 stands
 throughout
 southern
 Quebec.
A
 total
of
31
monitoring
plots
distributed
throughout
the
commercial
forest
are
making
up
the network.
 They
 are
 generally
 located
 close
 to
 meteorological
 and
 air
 quality
 monitoring
 stations.
Plots
vary
between
0.25
and
0.5
ha
in
size
and
are
surrounded
by
a
buffer
strip
of
at least
 100
 m
 wide.
 Three
 forest
 watersheds
 representative
 of
 the
 three
 main
 bioclimatic
 domains
of
the
Quebec
province
are
also
being
intensively
monitored.

This
high‐level
intensive
monitoring
network
is
unique
in
Canada.
It
also
complete
the
other more
 extensive
 forest
 inventory
 networks
 in
 the
 province
 of
 Quebec.
 After
 20
 years
 of
 weather,
 atmospheric
 depositions,
 forest
vegetation,
and
soils
monitoring,
several
changes
 in
 forest
 growth
and
composition
have
been
observed.
These
changes
can
be
explained,
at
 least
 partly,
by
detection
of
the
impacts
of
predisposing
(e.g.,
atmospheric
acid
deposition)
 or
triggering
(e.g.,
extreme
weather
events)
environmental
stress
factors.

Selected
 examples,
 including
 changes
 in
 sugar
 maple
 stand
 structure
 and
 composition,
 assessment
 of
 forest
 resilience
 to
 acid
 deposition,
 and
 assessment
 of
 potential
impacts
of
 forest
 harvesting
 and
 of
 climatic
 events
will
be
shown
to
demonstrate
the
capacity
of
field
 monitoring
 for
 detecting
the
impact
of
environmental
stresses
on
forest
growth,
dynamics,
 and
resilience.

Louis
Duchesne

Rock
Ouimet Ministry
of
Natural
Resources
and
Fauna,
Quebec,
Canada

91 Corresponding
author:
Ouimet,
Rock
(rock.ouimet@mrnf.gouv.qc.ca)

In:
Kaennel
Dobbertin,
M.
(Ed)
2009.
Long‐term
ecosystem
research:
Understanding
the
present
to
shape
the
future.

Int.
Conference
Zurich,
Switzerland,
7‐10
Sept
2009.
Abstracts.
Birmensdorf,
Swiss
Federal
Research
Institute
WSL.
118
pp.

Regional
monitoring
with
plot
networks:
a
practical
tool
for
implementing
research
and
reporting
on
forest
 ecosystem
changes
and
their
causes
in
Quebec,
Canada

Poster
session

1503

Roland
Pesch,
Winfried
Schröder,
Marcel
Holy

The
 presented
 study
 focuses
 on
 the
 spatiotemporal
 analysis
 of
 atmospheric
 metal
 bioaccumulation
 in
German
mosses.
Since
1990
such
data
has
been
collected
within
the
UN
 ECE
 Heavy
 Metals
 in
 Mosses
 Surveys
 in
 order
 to
 map
 the
 cross
 border
 patterns
 of
 heavy
 metal
bioaccumulation
across
Europe.
The
study
furthermore
analyses
the
spatial
variance
of metal
bioaccumulation
with
regard
to
local
and
regional
site
properties.
Special
focus
hereby lies
on
the
correlation
of
metal
concentration
in
mosses
and
in
depositions.

In
the
German
moss
surveys
of
1990,
1995,
2000
and
2005
all
sampling
sites
were
described with
 regard
 to
 aspects
 seen
 as
 relevant
 in
 the
 mandatory
 guideline
 (e.g.,
 topography,
 vegetation
and
proximity
of
emission
sources).
Together
with
the
measurements
on
up
to
40 trace
 elements
 these
 metadata
 were
 combined
 with
 surface
 information
 on
 land
 use,
 precipitation,
 and
 soil
 in
a
GIS
environment.
The
spatial
structure
of
metal
bioaccumulation
 was
 analysed
 and
 modelled
 by
 variogram
 analyses
 and
 then
 mapped
 by
 different
 kriging
 techniques.
 Furthermore,
 different
 types
 of
 multi
 metal
 indices
 (MMI)
 were
 derived
 from
 both
 measurements
 and
 estimated
 raster
 data
 with
 help
 of
 percentile
 statistics.
 The
 statistical
association
of
the
metal
bioaccumulation
and
local
or
regional
characteristics
was analysed
by
bivariate
correlation
analysis
and
decision
tree
models.

The
 results
 of
 the
 quality
 controlled
 chemical
 analyses
 show
 a
 significant
 decrease
 of
 the
 metal
bioaccumulation
in
Germany
from
1990
to
2000.
From
2000
to
2005
a
further
decrease can
be
stated
for
Hg,
Pb
and
Ti.
However,
a
significant
increase
for
Cd,
Cr,
Cu,
Sb
and
Zn
can
 be
observed.
This
especially
holds
true
for
Cr
(+160%)
that
almost
reaches
concentrations
in mosses
 as
 high
 as
 in
 1990.
 Except
 for
 Cr
 the
 metal
 loads
 in
 the
 2005
 survey
 show
 spatial
 distributions
 similar
 to
 those
 in
 1990,
 1995
 and
 2000.
 Hot
 spots
 are
 mostly
 found
 in
 the
 urbanised
 and
 industrially
 influenced
 Ruhr
 Area,
 the
 densely
 populated
 Rhein‐Main
 region
 and
in
the
industrially
influenced
regions
of
former
East
Germany
(e.g.,
Halle‐Leipzig
region).

The
 spatial
 variance
 of
 the
 metal
 bioaccumulation
 can
 mainly
 be
 explained
 by
site‐specific
 (moss
 species,
 canopy
 drip
 effects)
 and
site‐surrounding
(land
use,
depositions,
emissions)
 characteristics.

Compared
to
other
environmental
monitoring
and
modelling
programmes
the
moss
surveys registered
 increasing
 concentrations
 of
 toxic
 metal
 elements
 between
 1990
 and
 2005.


Contrary
 to
 deposition
 measurements
 that
 exhibit
 a
 higher
 temporal
 resolution
 the
 moss
 surveys
 provide
 measurement
 data
 on
 a
 wide
 range
 of
 elements
 with
 a
 high
 spatial
 resolution.

Marcel
Holy

Roland
Pesch

Winfried
Schröder

University
of
Vechta,
Germany

Corresponding
author:
Holy,
Marcel
(mholy@iuw.uni‐vechta.de)

Trends
in
metal
bioaccumulation
from
1990
to
2005
in
Germany

92 Poster
session

In:
Kaennel
Dobbertin,
M.
(Ed)
2009.
Long‐term
ecosystem
research:
Understanding
the
present
to
shape
the
future.

Int.
Conference
Zurich,
Switzerland,
7‐10
Sept
2009.
Abstracts.
Birmensdorf,
Swiss
Federal
Research
Institute
WSL.
118
pp.

Martine
Rebetez,
Valentine
Renaud

LWF
(Long‐term
Forest
Ecosystem
Research)
meteorological
data
have
been
collected
since
 1997
in
17
plots
in
Switzerland,
14
of
which
are
used
for
the
present
research.
They
represent different
 locations,
 orientations
 and
 elevations,
 from
 the
 Jura
 Mountains
 to
 the
 southern
 side
 of
 the
 Alps,
 composed
 of
 deciduous,
 coniferous
 and
 mixed
 forests.
 Each
 of
 these
 regions
 is
 distinguished
 by
 its
 flora
 and
 fauna,
 determined
 by
 climate,
environment
(relief,
 exposition,
altitude,
ground,
soil,
etc.),
evolution
and
human
presence.

Meteorological
 measurements
 were
 carried
out
under
the
canopy
at
the
observation
plots,
 and
in
an
open
field
outside
the
plots.
For
the
latter,
the
meteorological
station
was
always
 located
 less
 than
 two
 km
 from
 the
 plot,
 in
 a
 region
 of
 similar
 topography
 (altitude,
 slope
 orientation,
 distance
 from
 the
 bottom
 of
 a
 valley,
 etc.).
 The
 measurements
 for
 each
 site,
 available
in
real
time,
have
been
stored
and
treated
in
a
database.

In
 the
 present
 research,
 we
 compare
 open‐site
 and
 below‐canopy
climatic
conditions
from
 these
 14
 forest
 sites.
 We
 compare
 open‐site
 and
 below‐canopy
 measurements
 of
 air
 temperature
[C°],
PAR
(Photosynthetically
Active
Radiation
[W/m²]),
relative
humidity
[%]
and wind
 speed
 [m/s].
 We
 analyze
 minimum,
 maximum
 and
 average
 daily
 values
 for
 air
 temperature
and
humidity,
maximum
values
for
wind
and
PAR.

We
 show
 clear
differences
between
below‐canopy
and
open‐site
climate.
These
differences
 can
be
explained
by
several
factors
such
as
the
vegetation
type,
the
orientation
(i.e.,
north‐


or
south‐oriented
slope),
the
season,
the
soil
type
or
the
absolute
temperature
value.

Martine
Rebetez

Valentine
Renaud Swiss
Federal
Institute
for
Forest,
Snow
and
Landscape
Research
WSL,
Switzerland

93 Corresponding
author:
Rebetez,
Martine
(rebetez@wsl.ch)

In:
Kaennel
Dobbertin,
M.
(Ed)
2009.
Long‐term
ecosystem
research:
Understanding
the
present
to
shape
the
future.

Int.
Conference
Zurich,
Switzerland,
7‐10
Sept
2009.
Abstracts.
Birmensdorf,
Swiss
Federal
Research
Institute
WSL.
118
pp.

Climate
at
Swiss
LWF
forest
sites

Poster
session

1628

Cristina
Salvadori
(1),
Giorgio
Maresi
(1),
Mauro
Confalonieri
(2),
Stefano
Minerbi
(3)

In
a
typically
alpine
region
such
as
Trentino‐South
Tyrol
(North
Italy),
forests
cover
more
than 50%
 of
 land
 and
 affect
 economy,
 landscape
 and
 culture.
 Therefore
the
monitoring
and
the
 evaluation
 of
 forest
health
is
extremely
important.
Enhanced
by
the
general
concern
about
 forest
 decline,
 woodland
protection
studies
started
in
the
1980s
with
the
first
observations
 on
 crown
 defoliation
 and
 discoloration.
 Furthermore,
 in
 the
last
two
decades
an
extensive
 survey
 of
 known
 damages
 has
 been
 carried
 out
 in
 both
 the
 Autonomous
 Provinces
 of
 Bolzano
and
Trento.

In
 1992
 the
 two
 Provinces
 joined
 the
 International
 Co‐operative
 Programme
 of
 Integrated
 Monitoring
 (ICP‐IM,
 UN‐ECE)
 with
 four
 selected
 areas
 –
 two
 in
 subalpine
 Norway
 spruce
 woodland
 (Renon
 and
 Lavazè
 Pass,
 respectively
 IT01
 and
 IT03),
 and
 two
 in
thermophilous
 oak
woodland
(Monticolo
and
Pomarolo,
respectively
IT02
and
IT04).
This
monitoring
aimed to
investigate
the
state
and
the
biodiversity
of
alpine
nature‐like
structured
forests
in
relation to
air
pollution
effects,
anthropogenic
stresses
and
climate
changes.

During
 the
 survey
 period
 air
 quality
 investigation
 reported
a
reduced
presence
of
SO2
and
 NO2
 and
 high
 values
 of
 O3,
 but
 without
 associated
 damage.
 In
 the
 areas
 pollution
 factors
 were
 not
 detected
 and
 pH
 values
 showed
 a
 clear
increasing
trend
in
the
last
years.
Crown
 condition
assessment
has
been
pointing
out
a
good
status
during
the
observation
period:
the trees
ranged
mainly
in
the
classes
0–1
with
single
cases
in
class
2
or
3,
without
any
negative
 trend
 and
 with
 several
 recovering
 episodes.
 In
 all
 the
 plots
 pests
 and
 pathogens
 were
 regularly
 monitored.
 Deciduous
species
in
IT02
and
IT04
were
more
affected
both
by
biotic
 agents
 and
 by
abiotic
stress
such
as
drought,
especially
after
the
2003
summer;
at
IT01
and
 IT03
mechanical
and
unknown
damages
were
more
common.

One
 of
 the
 most
 important
 topics
 is
 the
 evaluation
 of
 biodiversity
in
the
target
areas.
The
 high
number
of
collected
species
allowed
estimating
the
similarity
of
structure
of
the
studied communities,
 which
 as
 expected
 was
 low
 between
 thermophilous
and
subalpine
coenosis.


Moreover,
 in
 the
 last
years
many
studies
have
pointed
out
the
role
of
several
organisms
as
 bioindicators
for
evaluating
health
condition
of
ecosystems.

Anomalous
 weather
 behaviours
 were
 the
 most
 effective
 in
 producing
 stress
 on
 trees.
 So,
 climate
change
could
be
considered
as
the
major
constraining
factor
for
forest
health,
both
 in
 the
 short
 and
 the
 long
 term.
 In
 this
 context,
 continuous
 intensive
 and
 extensive
 monitoring
 allows
 to
 assess
 the
 real
 role
 of
 the
 stress
 agents
 (pathogens,
 pests,
 drought
 etc.),
which
could
affect
wood
development
and
stability,
emphasizing
also
ageing
process
in many
 stands.
 Long‐term
 biodiversity
 investigations,
 i.e.,
 on
arthropods
and
macromycetes,
 and
 the
 use
 of
 bioindication
methods
could
help
better
understand
ecological
mechanisms
 involved
in
forest
homeostasis.

Walter
Seidling,
Wolfgang
Beck,
Daniel
Ziche

Crown
 condition
 is
 an
 easily
 recorded
 and
 commonly
 used
 indicator
 of
 tree
 performance.


Due
to
its
extensive
lack
of
specificity
towards
any
environmental
factor
its
temporal,
spatial and
 species
 specific
 variation
 cannot
 be
 simply
 explained.
 Additionally,
 still
 some
 methodological
 uncertainties
 with
 respect
 to
 its
 visual
 assessment
 have
 to
 be
 considered
 over
large
areas
and/or
over
time.

In
contrast,
annual
radial
increment
of
stem
wood
can
accurately
be
measured
if
–
at
least
–
 cores
 are
 available.
 However,
 wood
 increment
 is
 controlled
 by
 a
 variety
 of
 environmental
 conditions.
 Especially
 the
 impact
 of
 climate
 has
 widely
 been
 explored
 in
 dendroecological
 approaches
over
the
last
decades.

Data
 collected
 within
 the
 frame
 of
 the
 transnational
 monitoring
 of
 ICP‐Forests
 are
 a
 vast
 source
 of
 defoliation
 estimates
 under
 a
 broad
 variety
 of
 environmental
 conditions.
 In
 addition,
at
Level
II
plots,
continuously
collected
data
on
different
ecosystem
compartments provide
relevant
information
on
environmental
conditions.
Between
2005
and
2008
at
almost all
 German
 Level
 II
 sites
 two
increment
cores
from
20
individuals
were
taken
and
analysed.


These
data
are
jointly
investigated
within
different
cross‐cut
and
longitudinal
approaches.
In connection
with
large‐scale
inventories,
the
results
may
bear
considerable
prospects
for
up‐

scaling
approaches.

The
investigated
main
hypotheses
are:

‐
 Are
 there
 general
 relationships
 between
 the
 degree
 of
 defoliation
 and
 the
 level
 of
 stem


‐
 Are
 there
 general
 relationships
 between
 the
 degree
 of
 defoliation
 and
 the
 level
 of
 stem


Im Dokument Kaennel Dobbertin, M. (Ed.). (2009). Long-term ecosystem research: understanding the present to shape the future. Abstracts. International Conference Long‐term ecosystem research. Zürich, Switzerland: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL. (Seite 87-115)