Changes in climate–growth relationships in Larix decidua revealed by daily climatic data in the Tatra Mountains

Understanding climate–growth relationships is essential for adaptive forest management. By using a more detailed approach (daily climatic data), we sought to uncover finer-scale climatic effects on European larch (Larix decidua) growth in the Tatra Mountains (the Western Carpathians), providing a more nuanced understanding of the climate–growth response in the mountain ecosystem. We analyzed tree-ring width index (TRWI) chronology with daily mean temperature, insolation duration, and precipitation records from 1950 to 2019, and in two subperiods (1950–1984 and 1985–2019). Larch growth is strongly affected by temperature, insolation duration, and precipitation, but with different positive or negative influences and varied intensity across various subperiods. The climate–growth analysis indicates that larch benefited from warm, sunny, and dry late winters and springs, as well as warm summers during the entire analyzed period. However, in the last decades, the previously strong and significant influence of March–July temperature has mostly disappeared, becoming limited to only a few days (June). Notably, the formerly strong negative influence of summer and early autumn temperatures and insolation duration in the previous year disappeared. In the earlier subperiod, larch growth showed strong positive responses to late-summer/early autumn precipitation of the previous year and negative effects from spring to late-summer rainfall. In recent decades, these patterns have weakened but still limited the growth. Our results revealed significant changes in the larch growth response, highlighting its adaptability to fluctuating environmental conditions. In recent decades, the influence of temperature, insolation duration, and precipitation on radial growth has weakened, which suggests that climate change has had a positive impact on tree growth in the Tatra Mountains. These findings suggest that rising temperatures in European mountain regions may alter the climatic sensitivity of tree species. Understanding these changes is crucial to improving resilience-based management strategies in the face of climate change.