Effect of climate and intra- and inter-specific competition on diameter increment in beech and oak stands

Differences between intra- and inter-specific competition strategies in mixed stands account for higher productivity. The mechanisms of competition as they relate to stand structure remain poorly explored. Climatic effects have also been overlooked in most approaches aimed at studying tree growth. These effects were investigated through the case study of beech-oak mixtures in France. A single-tree diameter-increment mixed model was fitted to data gathered from the Laboratoire d'Etude des Ressources Foret-Bois (LERFoB) network of permanent plots. In order to take stand structure into account, the model was able to distinguish between inter-and intra-specific competition at tree level. Differences in intra-and inter-specific competition are mainly detected in the understorey of oak-dominated stands, where suppressed beech trees performed better than suppressed oak trees. From a climatic point of view, diameter increment was sensitive to the mean temperature of the vegetative period. Concerning competition, our results demonstrate that optimal growth induced by mixtures is not only a matter of species proportion but also depends on stand structure. Regarding climatic effects, they need to be considered in growth predictions, especially given the future climatic conditions predicted for continental Europe. These findings could serve as guidelines for designing strategies to alleviate stress in oak-beech stands.