Abstract
Silver fir stands have shown severe defoliation in the Vosges mountains in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Based on the preliminary results of growth studies in other regions affected by decline in silver fir (i.e. Black-Forest), it was suggested that this decline could be the first sign of a breakdown of the ecosystem, following a long-term decrease in vitality. Various hypotheses regarding the role of air pollution were offered. A dendrochronological study, based on 200 plots, showed a sharp increase in productivity of the silver fir between 1850 and 1940, followed by a plateau. During the last 40 yr, severe climatic crises have occurred ; droughts were found to play a key role. Both long-term evolution and short term crises are well reproduced by a climatic model, based on monthly precipitation and temperature of the year of ring formation and of the previous 6 yr. The model explains 79% of the variance. An excessive stand density, responsible for the development of ill-formed crowns and for an increased competition for water, seems to play a major role in the dieback of some stands. Information available on the response of the stands to a potential deterioration of the soils, to possible changes of the climate, and to other modifications of the pollution climate does not allow a reliable prediction of the vitality of silver fir.
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Becker, M., Landmann, G. & Lévy, G. Silver fir decline in the vosges mountains (France): Role of climate and silviculture. Water Air Soil Pollut 48, 77–86 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00282371
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00282371