Linking climate change induced drought stress and bark beetle susceptibility in Austrian forests with stable isotope and drone approaches (Bark-BeAT)
Abstract
Objective: The objective of the study is to identify nationwide tree stand susceptibility to bark beetle (Ips Typographus) infestation based on newly measured stable isotope data gleaned from archived and freshly collected tree rings from the Austrian National Forest Inventory (ANFI). Stable isotope data will be used to look, i) backwards to identify if and how drought stress influenced bark beetle infestation and ii) forwards to predict tree stands will respond to bark beetle under future climate change scenarios. This specifically addresses themes 1, 2 and 3 of the massnahmenpaket (see webpage). Introduction: Tree ring stable isotope data provides an accurate archive of information on past climate variability and physiological responses to environmental and geomorphological conditions, specifically soil water availability and usage, and specifically drought stress. This detailed knowledge can improve our understanding of the both legacy and future effects of climate change, particularly increasing temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns, such as increases in summer droughts that have been observed in the past ten years across Europe,( Stagge et al., 2017), which could lead to higher tree stress and bark beetle infestation risks (Raffa et al., 2008). This information in turn, allows us to develop drought and bark beetle risk maps, which when integrated with tree growth models enable us to develop long-term climate change adaptation strategies for different climatic scenarios. This ensures that national forest stock maintains its pivotal ecosystem service role, but also retains its status in the Austrian economy. Recent studies in the USA with a different bark beetle species to that found in Europe, have shown that tree drought stress as measured by tree ring isotope chronology is a good predictor of susceptibility to subsequent bark beetle attack (Csank et al., 2016). The project Tree-Bark-BeAT will empirically identify the effects of climate change on the physiology (water use efficiency, stomatal conductance and photosynthetic capacity) of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) in Austria and by flagging up areas susceptible to bark beetle infestation using stable isotope analysis of tree rings collected during the 8th Austrian National Forest Inventory. The data on physiological tree response will be combined with site specific data of forest and soil properties, available from the ANFI and the Austrian Soil Inventory to test the relationship between soil water status, vapour pressure deficit and stable isotope chronologies. Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) is the most economically relevant and abundant species in Austrian forests, is prone to drought because it has shallow roots and thus no access to deeper soil moisture. In recent years, bark beetle outbreaks have reached supranational scales (Hlásny et al., 2019). Drought and high temperatures have also been shown to increase bark beetle damage (Marini et al. 2017); there is clear evidence that drought conditions make spruce more vulnerable to attack (Netherer et al. 2015).
keywords bark beetle stable isotopes drought stress Austrian Forests Bark beetles stable isotopes
Publikationen
Project staff
Rebecca Hood-Nowotny
Priv.-Doz. Rebecca Hood-Nowotny MBA Ph.D.
rebecca.hood@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-91176
Project Leader
01.10.2021 - 30.09.2024
Simon Leitner
Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Simon Leitner
simon.leitner@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-91177
Project Staff
01.10.2023 - 30.09.2024
Andrea Watzinger
Priv.-Doz. Mag.rer.nat. Dr.rer.nat. Andrea Watzinger
andrea.watzinger@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-91175
Project Staff
01.10.2021 - 30.09.2024
BOKU partners
External partners
Federal Forest Office (BFW)
Barbara Kitzler, Gernot Hoch
partner