Higher climatic sensitivity of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) subjected to tourist pressure on a hiking trail in the Brodnica Lakeland, NE Poland
2019
Abstract Climate condtions constitute some of the main factors affecting variation in annual tree-ring growth. However other exogenous processes including geomorphic activity can affect substantially the rate of tree growth. Currently little is known on how human activity such as
tramplingaffects tree growth along hiking trails. We analyzed
annual growthvariation in 42
Scots pinetrees ( Pinus sylvestris L.) subjected to what is known as tourist pressure on a heavily used hiking trail in the Brodnica Lakeland located in Northeastern Poland and compared them with 45 pin. trees growing under natural conditions. Specifically, we compared the
climate sensitivityof pine trees growing under
tramplingpressure with a pine reference site using climate variables such as mean, minimum and maximum monthly air temperature and monthly precipitation. Positive and negative pointer years for two sites were designated using the Becker algorithm and compared. Results revealed that
Scots pine
annual growthat both sites was highly correlated with winter (January, February) and spring (March) air temperatures and February precipitation. However, both the response function analysis and pointer year analysis revealed higher
climatic sensitivityof trees subjected to
trampling. It was revealed that thermal and
pluvialconditions play an important role for
Scots pinegrowth at the
tramplingsite (PRES), especially in June and July when
cambiumis probably most active. At the same time, these are the months during which tourist activity is the most intense. Tree growth on a hiking trail was positively correlated with higher precipitation and lower maximum air temperature in June and July. This may indicate that pine trees subjected to
tramplingare threatened by a potential moisture limitation that occurs within and around the studied hiking trail due to an increase in
soil compaction. Additionally, the study revealed growth reduction in pine trees subjected to
tramplingpressure starting from the late 1970s, i.e., right at a time when a strong increase in tourist traffic was noted across the Brodnica Lakeland. The study shows that human impact associated with
tramplingon hiking trails significantlly affects the growth of
Scots pineand should be taken into account in future dendroecological studies.
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