Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) is able to thrive and prosper under meso-Mediterranean conditions

Diego Walder, Patrik Krebs, Harald Bugmann, Maria Chiara Manetti, Martina Pollastrini, Solaria Anzillotti, Marco Conedera

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

The potential ecological envelope of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) based on its present distribution suggests a high suitability for moist rather than warm and dry environments. This contrasts with paleoecological evidence reporting its former presence at low elevations under meso-Mediterranean conditions. In this study, we evaluated the growth performance of silver fir at low elevation (20–60 m a.s.l.) under meso-Mediterranean climatic conditions in Tuscany (central Italy). We conducted a dendroecological analysis on Abies alba trees along a geomorphological gradient (from depression to upper slope conditions). Climate-growth relationships were assessed by means of correlations, response functions, pointer years, and superposed epoch analysis. Silver fir was found to grow and regenerate well in these stands mixed with evergreen (e.g., Quercus ilex L.) and thermophilous deciduous Mediterranean tree species (e.g., Q. cerris L.). Summer drought was the most growth-influencing factor, with immediate (i.e., current season) negative impacts on tree-ring widths (TRW). No significant impacts were observed in the four years following extreme summer droughts, but the TRW series (which started between the 1930s and 1950s) showed a growth decline since the mid-1990s that is likely drought-related. Our results show that, provided there is a sufficiently large soil water holding capacity, silver fir provenances exist which are able to withstand Mediterranean summer droughts, can naturally and regularly regenerate in these systems, and may even dominate over typical meso-Mediterranean species. As long as annual precipitation is not too low (i.e., >850 mm) and summer drought conditions not too extreme (i.e., less than three months), silver fir has thus the potential to thrive under warm Mediterranean conditions.

Original languageEnglish
Article number119537
JournalForest Ecology and Management
Volume498
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Oct 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Adaptive forest management
  • Drought
  • Global change
  • Silver fir
  • Tree rings

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