Growing‐season frost is a better predictor of tree growth than mean annual temperature in boreal mixedwood forest plantations

• Published in: Global change biology Vol. 26; no. 11; pp. 6537 - 6554
• Main Authors: Marquis, Benjamin, Bergeron, Yves, Simard, Martin, Tremblay, Francine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.11.2020
• Subjects: Annual; apical meristems; boreal forest; Boreal forests; Canada; Climate; Climate change; Climate prediction; ecotones; Forest productivity; Forests; Frost; Frost damage; frost injury; frost resistance; frost rings; Global warming; Growing season; growing‐season frosts; Growth; growth retardation; Habitat selection; Height; Meristems; Norway; Picea; Picea abies; Picea glauca; Picea mariana; Pine trees; Plantations; provenance; Seasons; Species; stem analysis; summer; sustainable forest management; Temperate forests; Temperature; tree dormancy; tree growth; Tree rings; Trees; Canada; Norway; growing-season frosts; sustainable forest management; boreal forest; tree dormancy; forest productivity; frost rings; stem analysis; Picea

Increase in frost damage to trees due to earlier spring dehardening could outweigh the expected increase in forest productivity caused by climate warming. We quantified the impact of growing‐season frosts on the performance of three spruce species (white, black, and Norway spruce) and various seed s...