Effects of climatic conditions on tree-ring widths of three deciduous broad-leaved tree species at their northern distribution limit in Mont St. Hilaire, eastern Canada

Published Date
August 2016, Volume 21, Issue 4, pp 178–184

Original Article

First Online: 

09 June 2016

DOI: 10.1007/s10310-016-0530-9

Cite this article as: 

Takahashi, K. & Takahashi, H. J For Res (2016) 21: 178. doi:10.1007/s10310-016-0530-9

Author

• Koichi TakahashiEmail author
• Haruka Takahashi

Abstract

This study examined the effects of climatic conditions on tree-ring widths of red oak (Quercus rubra), sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and American beech (Fagus grandifolia) at their northern distribution limit in Mont St. Hilaire, eastern Canada. A residual chronology of tree-ring width index was developed for each species. The tree-ring width of Q. rubrashowed negative and positive correlations with May temperature and June precipitation in the current year, respectively. A. saccharum also showed similar patterns with Q. rubra, i.e., negative and positive correlations with June temperature and precipitation in the current year, respectively. F. grandifolia showed neither positive nor negative correlations with temperature and precipitation. The expressed population signals of tree-ring width chronologies of the three species indicated that climatic factors more greatly influenced the variations in tree-ring widths in the order Q. rubra > A. saccharum > F. grandifolia. Therefore, the radial growth of Q. rubra was most restricted by drought stress in early summer among the three species. Global warming is suggested to affect the radial growth of the three species differently by increasing drought stress at Mont St. Hilaire in eastern Canada.

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