CONTRASTING TREE-RING GROWTH RESPONSE OF PICEA ABIES TO CLIMATE VARIABILITY IN WESTERN AND EASTERN ESTONIA

Climatic variations and changes regulate arboreal growth. In Estonia, the tree-ring growth variability of coniferous and deciduous trees has been linked with various climatic variables in different parts of the country. However, the dendroclimatic signals of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H.Karst.) have not been explored across the region. Here we compare the growth variability of this species, growing under various site conditions in Estonia, with records of temperature, precipitation, and indices of the North Atlantic Oscillation over a period of 50 years (1956-2005). Western chronologies correlated positively and significantly (p<0.01) with early-summer (June) precipitation, while eastern chronologies showed positive and significant (p<0.05) correlation with mid-winter (January) precipitation. Moreover, the eastern chronologies correlated positively and significantly (p<0.05) with the North Atlantic Oscillation index in January. First, our results indicated that the previously established geobotanical division, rather than forest site types, most probably explains the spatial patterns in spruce growth variability. Second, our findings agreed with the late Quaternary pollen studies showing that the vigour of spruce is limited in the western forests by a combination of climatic (i.e. summer moisture) and edaphic factors. Third, our results complement those of previous investigations, suggesting that the impacts and threats the changing climate will pose on spruce may be different in western and eastern Estonia, with more severe effects envisaged in the western part of the region through drought-induced physiological stress.