Intraseasonal stem circumference oscilations: Their connection to weather course

Abstract

The diameter (circumference, radial) growth of trees is primarily connected with activity of secondary lateral meristematic tissues - cambium and phellogen. Their activity is linked with the basic physiological processes running in trees, the influence of which can be either direct or indirect. This process is also influenced by climate and weather fluctuations. At the same time, the tree stem with its tissues (bark, phloem, xylem) serves as a water reservoir for transpiration, and the short-time oscilations in the stem magnitude reflect the water balance and water potential of these tissues. The study ran in the vegetation period 2006. We measured short-time stem circumference changes on 1 beech and 3 spruce individuals in a primeval spruce forest in locality Predná Pol'ana (1360 m asl). In this contribution we deal mainly with inter-daily circumference changes and their connection to the seasonal weather course. A strong weather signal, affecting the circumference changes, was observed both on spruce and beech.