Intraspecific trait variation and acclimation

Increasing drought and temperatures will change the productivity and functioning of forests. Sweden, as being the 5th largest exporter of wood products, heavily relies on healthy and productive forests. Current forest management strategies are being applied to create forests that are more resilient to future climate change, but also incorporate higher biodiversity, while preferably not losing productivity value. While Sweden has a cool and relatively wet climate, also here, reduced forest productivity and mortality has been observed in relation to extremer droughts, and atmospheric water demand (VPD). It is thus important to know how the Swedish tree species respond to climate-change related stresses, and which tree species are most suitable for overcoming these.

This project, funded by the Trees4Future program, aims to give an overview of the drought and heat tolerance of Swedish forests. Specifically, the question is how well trees can acclimate to seasonal and yearly fluctuations in precipitation and temperature. For this, a combination of literature reviews, climate chamber experiments and seasonal field sampling are planned.