Growth and Adaptive Capacity of Douglas Fir Genetic Resources from Western Romania under Climate Change

Abstract

The most recent climate change scenarios show that Southern and Eastern Europe will be affected by a significant increase in temperature and drought frequency by the end of the 21st century. Romania has already recorded very high temperatures and long periods of drought over recent decades, the most affected regions being the south, west and east of the country. Considering that successful forest management requires suitable species and high-quality reproductive material for reforestation, the aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the growth and drought response of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziessi var. menziesii) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) in two stands installed at the end of the 19th century in western Romania. The growth traits, wood characteristics and drought parameters (resistance, recovery, resilience and relative resilience) of Douglas fir and Norway spruce trees have been analyzed and compared. The climate–growth relationship was determined using growth response functions over the period 1938–2017. Additionally, to simulate the potential impact of climate change on Douglas fir in this region, the RCP4.5 scenario was used over two periods: 2041–2070 and 2071–2100. The results reveal that Douglas fir has an exceptional growth capacity, overcoming the Norway spruce since the early ages in both site conditions. The highest growth performances were seen in the low-productivity site. From analyzing the responses to drought events, considerable differences were found between species. The results highlight the high resistance and relative resilience to extreme droughts of Douglas fir compared to Norway spruce. However, autumn–winter temperatures play an important role in the adaptation of Douglas fir to site conditions in Romania. The use of appropriate provenances of Douglas fir in mixed stands with native broadleaved species may be an option for climatically exposed sites, thus increasing the value of these stands.