Open AccessEffects of Meteorological and Site Parameters on the Health Status of Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) Forests in Hungary
Author(s) -
Gergely Janik,
Zoltán Pödör,
András Koltay,
Anikó Hirka,
János Juhász,
Gyula Kovács,
György Csóka
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
acta silvatica and lignaria hungarica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.202
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 1787-064X
pISSN - 1786-691X
DOI - 10.37045/aslh-2020-0005
Subject(s) - beech , fagus sylvatica , precipitation , environmental science , climate change , arid , maximum temperature , atmospheric sciences , forestry , climatology , physical geography , geography , ecology , biology , meteorology , geology
The influence of meteorological parameters on the health status of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) was analyzed using long term datasets (1989-2010) collected in 15 sample plots located in Hungary’s main beech regions. Leaf loss values were correlated with different meteorological parameters as explanatory variables. Analysis was performed by the CReMIT (Cyclic Reverse Moving Intervals Techniques) method. Weather, stand, and site parameters were also examined with PCA for comparison. Leaf loss levels showed stronger correlations with maximum monthly temperatures than with monthly precipitation sums. The monthly number of summer days and monthly number of hot days displayed a similar correlation to leaf loss as the maximum monthly temperature did. The correlations were regularly stronger and more frequent on more arid sites where the climate is less favorable for beech. Temperature affected leaf loss more than precipitation did. Our results show that beech forests may suffer heavy damage if climate change continues as projected.