ZLV Online

Abstrakt

The main objective of the study was to evaluate long-term growth response of spruce to climatic factors using the set of 3,062 tree-ring series collected in 2013–2019 from the entire territory of the Czech Republic. Multivariate analysis of dendrochronological data and available environmental parameters allowed the identification of climatic factors with negative impact on spruce growth. The dominant climatic factor negatively influencing the spruce growth in the Czech Republic in this period was the lack of precipitation during the summer. The negative impact of summer drought was the most pronounced in locations up to 650 m a. s. l. However, the effect of drought was evident in some cases even at altitudes above 1000 m a. s. l. Growth of spruce in lower and middle altitudes in western and central Bohemia was also limited by the lack of precipitation in winter, while in eastern Bohemia and Moravia the growth was negatively affected by drought in the autumn of the previous year. The different growth response of lowland spruce ecotype shows how specific ecotype and site conditions can locally change the climate-growth relationship.