Name of programme: GA ČR
Project number: 25-18519S
Investigator for FLD: doc. Ing. Radim Matula, Ph.D.
Contact person: doc. Ing. Radim Matula, Ph.D., matular@fld.czu.cz
Implementation period: 01/2025 – 12/2027
Climate change has significant impacts on tree growth in forest ecosystems. However, there is little information on how the changing climate affects intra-annual tree growth dynamics and carbon sequestration across a wide range of climatic conditions of European forests. This project aims to use long-term growth measurements using automatic dendrometers from 2671 trees of 37 species to evaluate the impact of increasing temperatures and water deficits on growth phenology, dynamics, and carbon uptake of trees from boreal to Mediterranean forests. The data cover tree growth in both climatically normal and abnormally warm and dry years, which, together with newly acquired data on climate, wood density, and forest structure will enable the modeling of the impacts of changing climate on individual growth phases and subsequently relate these changes to the overall productivity and carbon sequestration of individual trees and forest stands. The project will help to better understand and predict the impacts of climate change on tree growth and carbon sequestration in European forests.