One effect of global warming is the increasing risk of drought. The shortage of water in the soil has
a direct impact on crop plants. It can therefore be expected that drought stress will negatively affect forests.
The aim of this study was to determine the length of the drought in the forests of Poland in 2015. Calculations
were carried out using data from 21 meteorological stations for the conditions prevailing in the reference
stand, which was determined to be a middle-aged pine stand growing on poor sandy soils classified as
Dystric Arenosol. Drought was treated as the state when the soil water available to plants is depleted up
to a depth of one meter. Daily changes in soil water storage were measured on the basis of the balance of
water inflow-outflow. Climatic water balance was also determined. The calculations of the soil water storage
deficit for the conditions of the reference forest ecosystem showed that in 2015 drought soil occurred in
almost all of the forests of Poland. Wielkopolska was affected by the earliest-starting and longest-lasting
drought. To a lesser extent, however, it extended throughout all of central Poland, from the west to the
eastern border of the country. This is where one could expect to see the negative effects of the lack of water
available to trees, which can be manifested as a smaller increase in growth, a decrease in health status, and
– in particularly unfavorable conditions – dying trees. The climatic water balance showed that the annual
water deficit in Wielkopolska exceeded 100 mm.
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.