Assessing urban climate effects on Pinus sylvestris with point dendrometers : a case study from Stockholm, Sweden

• Changes in surface properties of the urban environments significantly impact the local microclimate. While urban trees are known for providing important thermal regulation, the impact of urban climate on tree growth remains relatively unexplored. The present study focuses on the climate response and growth dynamics of urban Scots pine trees (P. sylvestris) in comparison to their rural counterparts. High-resolution monitoring of stem-radius variations using automatic point dendrometers was performed during the growing seasons (April–October) of 2017 and 2018 in Stockholm, Sweden. In 2018, the region experienced a severe and long-lasting summer drought. In May and July, temperatures were up to 5 °C higher relative to the reference period (1981–2010), and precipitation sums were below the reference period for the entire growing season. Our results show that the urban climate primarily impacts the daily water storage dynamics by decreasing the radius change amplitudes and delaying the time of maximum stem-water replenishment and depletion. Under standard climatic conditions, the warmer climate (1.3 °C) at the urban sites had a positive impact on radial growth increment. Drought periods significantly impact the climate–growth relationships. Stem shrinkage intensifies during the day, and lower growth rates were registered, resulting in reduced annual growth. The high-resolution monitoring provided valuable insights into daily and seasonal patterns of Scots pine stem-radius variations, showing that growth responses to increasing temperature are mainly controlled by moisture availability and site-specific conditions. 

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Pinus sylvestris

Point dendrometers

Urban climate

Daily fluctuations

Seasonal patterns

Stem radial increment

Environmental Sciences

miljövetenskap

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)