Evidence that the Montseny Mountains are still a good climatic refugium for the southernmost silver fir forest on the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

Abstract Many European temperate tree species reach their southern distribution limits in the Mediterranean region, and ongoing climate change will further restrict their climatic niche in this area. In this study, we investigated the effects of forest management and climate change on tree growth and the spatial extension of a silver fir forest (Abies alba Mill.) located at the species’ southern distribution limit on the Iberian Peninsula (Montseny Mountains Natural Park, Spain). Different growth variables such as tree-ring width (RW), basal area increment (BAI), earlywood width (EwW) and latewood width (LwW) were assessed, and climate-growth relationships were established for the period 1914–2010. Our results revealed that the main growth reductions and releases in the raw tree-ring width series were related to both volcanic activity and intensive logging. Since the establishment of the Natural Park in 1977, RW series have levelled off, and this has translated into an increase in BAI. This positive performance may have also facilitated the spatial expansion of the stand. Low precipitation during spring and summer was found to be the most limiting factor for tree growth during the period 1914–2010. Temperature had only a minor influence on tree growth. LwW was the growth variable most sensitive to climatic conditions. Such sensitivity explained the decreasing LwW trend since 1975. In contrast, EwW mostly depended on the previous year’s climatic conditions, and was not climatically limited during the growing season, resulting in an increasing trend over the study period. However, the temporal instability of most of these climate-growth relations indicated that climate change might have been beneficial for tree performance. Past logging events have fostered tree growth in the stand due to the increase in the availability of water, light, and nutrients, potentially alleviating the negative impacts of climate change. Furthermore, it is possible that the increase in the EwW improved water transport in the silver firs, which may also have helped them to endure ongoing climate change. Therefore, it is crucial to assess the role of forest management, as well as the potential acclimation of the tree species when considering the effects of climate change.