Sixth Webinar: The alleviation potential of tree-cutting interventions on drought stress of pedunculate oak and European beech in temperate forest ecosystems

Droughts are expected to increase in frequency, duration, and intensity in the future, thereby posing one of the largest threats to forest ecosystems in Temperate Europe. Climate-smart forest management, such as thinning, has been proposed as a drought alleviation strategy. However, no scientific consensus exists on the relationship between thinning and tree drought stress, with tree-cutting interventions being reported to reduce, increase, or not affect drought stress. Therefore, my research aims to understand this relationship by linking point dendrometer data, which provides information on a tree’s drought response at short time scales, to recent forest management interventions. More specifically, this presentation will focus on how to process and interpret dendrometer data through a case study in the Brabantse Wouden in Flanders.