The effect of meteorological factors on the annual increment of spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) growing on double layer soils

Abstract

Abstract The present work analyzes the effect of temperature and precipitation in the growing season on annual increment and structural elements of spruce xylem. The objects of study were stands aged 100-120 years with different spruce proportion, restricted to soils of binary genesis that allowed levelling out the conditions of growth and determining the main meteorological parameters influencing the increment of spruce wood. The study revealed that, depending on the stand composition, the average temperatures during the growing season have change the effect on the annual increment of spruce wood. In the given soil conditions, the highest meteorological sensitivity in spruce was recorded when its share in the stands was less than 60%. With a decrease in the spruce share in the stand composition, the influence of meteorological factors on macrostructural elements also decreases, but if broad-leaf species are present in the stand, there is an increasing in the influence of weather factors on the increment of wood and its structural elements.