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Dendrosciences

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We use tree rings to investigate environmental impacts on tree growth and reconstruct past environmental changes. Our aim is to understand the underlying tree-physiological processes, particularly in relation to the water and carbon cycles. The spatio-temporal scale ranges from minutes to millennia and from cells to ecosystems around the globe. Our toolbox includes time series analysis of ring width, x-ray density, stable isotopes and wood cell anatomy. We aim to advance these tools through development of hardware, software and statistical methods.

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Projects

Auswirkungen der Sommerdürre 2018 auf die Buche auf der Alpennordseite

Die Sommerdürre 2018 erzeugte eine bis dato unbekannt grosse Buchenmortalität. Darum startete die WSL im Sommer 2018 das 1000-Buchen-Projekt, in dessen Rahmen die Vitalität von 825 Buchen mit vorzeitigem und 139 Buchen mit normalem Laubfall während einem Jahr verglichen wurden.

ExtremeImpact

This project build up on high-resolution observations of conifer tree growth in the Swiss Lötschental valley to quantify at cell-based resolution the impact of the extreme summer drought 2015 on tree-ring biomass, sapwood conductivity, and water use efficiency.

Moringa

We aim on analyzing the exact formation of tree-rings (Xylogenesis) in Moringa peregrina (Forssk.) Fiori during a calendar year, building a long chronology for this species, and analyzing 13C and 18O to assess the tree-environment interactions, particularly precipitation.

Acclimation and environmental memory

Which are the main mechanisms conveying adaptation on the organ and whole tree level, how fast does acclimation occur and how long is an acclimation potential sustained?

Anyui – Volcanoes, Climate and the Peopling of the Americas

We performed ambitious fieldwork on and documentation of the little-known Anyui volcano in northeast Siberia.

Caldera

In this SNF funded Sinergia project - aimed at quantifying climate and societal impacts induced by major volcanic eruptions of the Common Era - the WSL mainly contribute by providing a unprecedented millennial long chronology of wood cell anatomical features.

Assessing past atmospheric composition in Northern China using novel tree-ring analyses

We aim to assess the presence of particles in trees and to correlate them through dating to known air pollution and sandstorms' episodes.

XELLCLIM

We identify the best xylem cell anatomical features for climate reconstructions and assess their characteristics across temporal scales compared to established tree-ring parameters, and against instrumental records and climate model simulations.

GenWood

We link genomic and dendro-phenotypic data in Norway Spruce (Picea abies) to study the genomic basis of wood anatomy and assess the adaptive potential of forest trees under climate change.

Isodrought

We want to explore a stable isotope tree-ring approach for analyzing physiological drought responses of trees. The results are expected to provide a novel diagnostic tool for understanding causes of tree decline.

BLACKDYNAMITE

This Swiss-Spanish project investigates the dynamics and competition of the black Périgord and Burgundy truffles under the influence of climate change.

Environmental impact on wood formation

Wood formation is a process that not only fix carbon into the wood structure, but also determine how much and how safely water can be transported trough the stem of a tree. This project make use of dated tree-rings to investigate how the environment impacts wood formation and structure

Adaptation of trees to extreme climate events

Extreme climate events are expected to become more frequent with climate warming. We test genetic differentiation in resistance to late frost and drought in silver fir populations planted in the 1980s in Swizterland and abroad.

GenTree

GenTree aims at providing the European forestry sector with better knowledge, methods and tools for optimizing the management and sustainable use of forest genetic resources in Europe in the context of climate change and continuously evolving demands for forest products and services.

Götterbäume in der Südschweiz

Götterbäume breiten sich derzeit rasant in den milden Lagen der Südschweiz aus und werfen vor allem im Schutzwald grosse Fragen auf: Als kurzlebige Pionierbaumart mit gebietsweise hohem Kernfäulebefall können sie zu einer Destabilisierung beitragen, die waldbaulich schwer zu korrigieren ist.

MOUNTROOT

The project MOUNTROOT aims at comparing structure-function relationship in roots of two dominant herb species of pasture-woodlands in response to simulated climate change, and to integrate these below-ground insights with above-ground responses to a whole-plant framework.

Bulgarische Bergwälder

In large uncultivated forests in Bulgaria, the SLF is investigating the potential reaction of mountain woodland to climate change.

Disentangling truffle ecology

We study the complex biotic and abiotic ecology and the population genetics of the Burgundy truffle (Tuber aestivum) in Switzerland and the German pre-Alps, with particular emphasis on the ecological and climatological drivers for the productivity and phenology of this most valuable truffle species.

Below-canopy climate

Microclimate is a key factor influencing regeneration in forests. Particularly available light, water supply and temperature determine the success or failure of certain tree species. How will future climate change influence below-canopy microclimate and tree regeneration?

Lötschental

Lötschental offers an ideal setting to study the influence of global warming on tree-growth

Quality wood production

The WSL initiated together with other institutions a research program aiming at high quality chestnut timber by minimizing the costs and improving the functional features and the stability of the coppice stands.

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Publications

Shestakova, T.A.; Martínez-Sancho, E., 2021: Stories hidden in tree rings: a review on the application of stable carbon isotopes to dendrosciences. Dendrochronologia, 65: 125789 (8 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.dendro.2020.125789

Walthert, L.; Ganthaler, A.; Mayr, S.; Saurer, M.; Waldner, P.; Walser, M.; Zweifel, R.; Von Arx, G., 2021: From the comfort zone to crown dieback: sequence of physiological stress thresholds in mature European beech trees across progressive drought. Science of the Total Environment, 753: 141792 (14 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141792

Mu, Y.; Zhang, Q.; Fang, O.; Lyu, L.; Cherubini, P., 2021: Pervasive tree-growth reduction in Tibetan juniper forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 480: 118642 (6 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118642

Büntgen, U.; González-Rouco, J.F.; Luterbacher, J.; Stenseth, N.C.; Johnson, D.M., 2020: Extending the climatological concept of 'Detection and Attribution' to global change ecology in the Anthropocene. Functional Ecology, 34, 11: 2270-2282. doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.13647

Büntgen, U.; Kaennel Dobbertin, M.; Gärtner, H., 2020: Schweingruber’s cosmos of inspiration. Dendrochronologia, 60: 125680 (4 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.dendro.2020.125680

Eckes‐Shephard, A.H.; Tiavlovsky, E.; Chen, Y.; Fonti, P.; Friend, A.D., 2020: Direct response of tree growth to soil water and its implications for terrestrial carbon cycle modelling. Global Change Biology, doi: 10.1111/gcb.15397

Timofeeva, G.; Treydte, K.; Bugmann, H.; Salmon, Y.; Rigling, A.; Schaub, M.; Vollenweider, P.; Siegwolf, R.; Saurer, M., 2020: How does varying water supply affect oxygen isotope variations in needles and tree rings of Scots pine?. Tree Physiology, 40, 10: 1366-1380. doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpaa082

Pandey, S.; Cherubini, P.; Saurer, M.; Carrer, M.; Petit, G., 2020: Effects of climate change on treeline trees in Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest, Central Himalaya). Journal of Vegetation Science, 31, 6: 1146-1155. doi: 10.1111/jvs.12921

Sabella, E.; Gärtner, H.; Luvisi, A.; De Bellis, L.; Vergine, M.; Saurer, M.; Cherubini, P., 2020: Increase in ring width, vessel number and δ¹⁸O in olive trees infected with Xylella fastidiosa. Tree Physiology, 40, 11: 1583-1594. doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpaa095

Matulewski, P.; Buchwal, A.; Zielonka, A.; Wrońska-Wałach, D.; Čufar, K.; Gärtner, H., 2020: Trampling as a major ecological factor affecting the radial growth and wood anatomy of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) roots on a hiking trail. Ecological Indicators, 107095. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.107095

Pampuch, T.; Anadon-Rosell, A.; Zacharias, M.; Von Arx, G.; Wilmking, M., 2020: Xylem anatomical variability in white spruce at treeline is largely driven by spatial clustering. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11: 581378 (10 pp.). doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.581378

Churakova, O.V.; Fonti, M.V.; Siegwolf, R.T.W.; Saurer, M.; Myglan, V.S., 2020: Impact of recent climate change on water-use efficiency strategies of Larix sibirica in the Altai-Sayan mountain range. Forests, 11, 10: 1103 (11 pp.). doi: 10.3390/f11101103

Babst, F.; Friend, A.D.; Karamihalaki, M.; Wei, J.; Von Arx, G.; Papale, D.; Peters, R.L., 2020: Modeling ambitions outpace observations of forest carbon allocation. Trends in Plant Science, doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2020.10.002

Pauly, M.; Helle, G.; Büntgen, U.; Wacker, L.; Treydte, K.; Reinig, F.; Turney, C.; Nievergelt, D.; Kromer, B.; Friedrich, M.; Sookdeo, A.; Heinrich, I.; Riedel, F.; Balting, D.; Brauer, A., 2020: An annual-resolution stable isotope record from Swiss subfossil pine trees growing in the late Glacial. Quaternary Science Reviews, 247: 106550 (12 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106550

Battipaglia, G.; De Micco, V.; Gärtner, H., 2020: Most recent trends in tree-ring sciences: from local to global, from molecule to forest stands, from days to millennia. - Editorial to the special issue "TRACE 2019". Dendrochronologia, 63: 125758 (4 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.dendro.2020.125758

Büntgen, U.; Arseneault, D.; Boucher, É.; Churakova (Sidorova), O.V.; Gennaretti, F.; Crivellaro, A.; Hughes, M.K.; Kirdyanov, A.V.; Klippel, L.; Krusic, P.J.; Linderholm, H.W.; Ljungqvist, F.C.; Ludescher, J.; McCormick, M.; Myglan, V.S.; Nicolussi, K.; Piermattei, A.; Oppenheimer, C.; Reinig, F.; ... Esper, J., 2020: Prominent role of volcanism in Common Era climate variability and human history. Dendrochronologia, 64: 125757 (11 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.dendro.2020.125757

Zhang, J.; Alexander, M.R.; Gou, X.; Deslauriers, A.; Fonti, P.; Zhang, F.; Pederson, N., 2020: Extended xylogenesis and stem biomass production in Juniperus przewalskii Kom. during extreme late-season climatic events. Annals of Forest Science, 77, 4: 99 (11 pp.). doi: 10.1007/s13595-020-01008-1

Tegel, W.; Seim, A.; Skiadaresis, G.; Ljungqvist, F.C.; Kahle, H.P.; Land, A.; Muigg, B.; Nicolussi, K.; Büntgen, U., 2020: Higher groundwater levels in western Europe characterize warm periods in the Common Era. Scientific Reports, 10, 1: 16284 (8 pp.). doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-73383-8

Sookdeo, A.; Kromer, B.; Büntgen, U.; Friedrich, M.; Friedrich, R.; Helle, G.; Pauly, M.; Nievergelt, D.; Reinig, F.; Treydte, K.; Synal, H.; Wacker, L., 2020: Quality dating: a well-defined protocol implemented at ETH for high-precision 14C-dates tested on Late Glacial wood. Radiocarbon, 62, 4: 891-899. doi: 10.1017/RDC.2019.132

Reinig, F.; Sookdeo, A.; Esper, J.; Friedrich, M.; Guidobaldi, G.; Helle, G.; Kromer, B.; Nievergelt, D.; Pauly, M.; Tegel, W.; Treydte, K.; Wacker, L.; Büntgen, U., 2020: Illuminating IntCal during the Younger Dryas. Radiocarbon, 62, 4: 883-889. doi: 10.1017/RDC.2020.15

20 from 917 publications

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Staff

Scientific Staff

	Dr. Georg von Arx Group Leader		Prof. Dr. Paolo Cherubini Senior Scientist
	Dr. Patrick Fonti Senior Scientist		Dr. Holger Gärtner Research Scientist
	Dr. Kerstin Treydte Research Scientist		Prof. Dr. Ulf Büntgen Senior Scientist _{also: Dep. of Geography, University of Cambridge}
	Dr. Jesper Björklund PostDoc		Dr. Elisabet Martinez Sancho PostDoc
	Dr. Kristina Seftigen PostDoc		Paula Ballikaya Ph.D. Student

Technicians

Dr. Marina Fonti

Research Technician

Daniel Nievergelt

Research Technician

Loic Schneider

Research Technician

Anne Verstege

Research Technician

Students and Guests

	Hugo Berger Guest Scientist		Prof Dr. David Frank Guest Scientist
	Prof. Dr. Athanasios Koutavas Guest Scientist		Dr. Bianca Perren Guest Scientist
	Dr. Cyrille Rathgeber Fellow		Matteo Dell’Oro scientific Assistant
	Alessandro Gregori scientific Assistant		Sven Kottlow scientific Assistant
	Maria Elvira Murazzi scientific Assistant		Nadja Studer scientific Assistant
	Marc Grob Intern		Davide Bernasconi Master Student
	Jana Gemperle Master Student		Nicola Paltenghi Master Student
	Lara Widmer Guest Apprentice		Daniel Pock Zivi