| content | Due to climate change, big areas in Germany with shallow rooted conifers like Norway spruce
(Picea abies) suffered from forest dieback after extreme weather events and bark beetle
infestations. The search for suitable tree species for afforestation and forest regeneration
includes looking for species specific water and nutrient limitations at the sites to be used as an
indicator for resistance and resilience in case of drougth.
Within the project, the goal is to link the nutrient limitations with drought stress intensity for
Larix decidua, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Quercus robur and Fagus sylvatica. A growth rate
analysis in the tree stem will be conducted, completed by below ground biomass calculations
and root distribution analysis from root sampling. This aims to identify, on a single tree level,
the root composition but also root productivity species and age dependant. Meanwhile the
project partners research focuses on above ground biomass, nutrient analyses and nutrient
uptake but also greenhouse gas fluxes.
Therefore, this study uses 32 plots in Lower-Saxony in the Göttingen area composed of 4
replicas of the four species with two age classes each. The site conditions are characterized by
Luvisol soils with partially stagnic properties which developed from sandstone with loess
deposits.
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