Dendrochronological potential of secondary species: bases for the development of the study of sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), black alder (Alnus glutinosa) and common hornbeam (Carpinus betulus).

Abstract

Climate change is increasingly affecting the stability, productivity, and resilience of European forests, particularly through recurrent drought events and rising temperatures. While dendrochronological research has extensively focused on major commercial broadleaved species, this study investigates the potential of three underrepresented broadleaved species: sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), black alder (Alnus glutinosa), and common hornbeam (Carpinus betulus). The research combined classical dendrochronological methods with X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) to analyse tree-ring width (TRW), maximum latewood density (MXD), and intra-annual wood density variations. Climate–growth relationships were further explored using temperature and precipitation datasets. The results demonstrate that the three studied species produce sufficiently distinct and synchronous growth rings to allow reliable dendrochronological analysis. Overall, this study confirms the potential of these secondary broadleaved species for future dendroecological research.