Key message Heavy thinning from above promotes coarse root and stem diameter growth in both Scots pine and sessile oak. Coarse root-stem allometry indicates a greater allocation of resources to coarse roots relative to the stem in both species. Abstract The effects of heavy thinning from above on stem and coarse root growth, as well as on coarse root–stem allometry, were investigated in mature Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.)...

When dealing with CO 2 in- and outflows of forest ecosystems, the CO 2 emissions due to harvest operations have been mostly not included into the analyses, so far. Therefore, to demonstrate an integrative and more holistic view, we used the generic simulation model care4cmodel for assessing relevant silvicultural concepts for pine species in different European ( Pinus sylvestris, Pinus pinaster ) and South African ( Pinus pina...

Climate change and associated drought stress significantly impact tree root systems and canopies, essential for water and nutrient provision. We examined the root-shoot allometry of dominant European beech ( Fagus sylvatica [L.]) and Norway spruce ( Picea abies [L.] Karst.) in monospecific and mixed-species stands across five triplets along a climatic and geological gradient from North to South Bavaria, focusing on their droug...

Key Message Beech growth acclimated better during severe drought and recovered faster than spruce after drought ended. This was associated with a shift in performance along relative tree size towards small trees. Abstract The effects of several consecutive drought years and the recovery reaction of mature trees in particular after a long-term drought have been poorly studied so far. In this study, we demonstrate the growth rea...

Climate change is predicted to drive geographical range shifts, leading to fluctuations in species richness (SR) worldwide. However, the effect of these changes on functional diversity (FD) remains unclear, in part because comprehensive species‐level trait data are generally lacking at global scales. Here, we use morphometric and ecological traits for 8268 bird species to estimate the impact of climate change on avian FD. We s...

In the field of assessing forest ecosystem service provision and biodiversity, there seems to be a gap between an existing large body of valuable expert knowledge and its application. We propose fuzzy logic evaluation systems as a contribution to closing that gap. With this method-focused pilot study, we explored the potential of fuzzy logic for assessing the provision of different ecosystem services in a simulation case study...

Mixed mountain forests, primarily made up of Norway spruce ( Picea abies (L.) Karst.), silver fir ( Abies alba Mill.) and European beech ( Fagus sylvatica L.), cover about 10 × 10 6 ha of submontane–subalpine altitudes in Europe. They provide invaluable ecosystem services, e.g. protection against avalanches, landslides or rockfall. However, pure Norway spruce stands have, since mediaeval times, been heavily promoted as product...