PJB-2023-195
Dendrochronological study of Abies pindrow (Royle ex D. Don) Royle (Fir) as aspect of tree growth and climate change analysis in Hindu Kush, northern Pakistan
Fayaz Asad, Muhammad Adil, Sabrina Shaid and Moinuddin Ahmed
Abstract
Climate change has severely affected the moist and dry temperate forests of Hindu Kush region, northern Pakistan, specifically impacting the distribution and growth of the west Himalayan fir, known as Abies pindrow. This species, an important representative of the area, is facing significant abiotic stress as a result of rising temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns. We determined whether there is any correlation between the variability of Abies pindrow tree rings and the corresponding variability of the climate factors in the Hindu Kush region. Sixty-three tree ring cores were collected from thirty-one trees of Abies pindrow and developed a tree ring width chronology (AD 1666–2022) for the Dir Upper, Hindu Kush region, northern Pakistan. Radial growth was correlated with climate factors such as temperature, precipitation, Diurnal temperature range (DTR), and Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) in order to identify the major limiting factor for the tree's growth. Precipitation was found to be the most important and driving element influencing the tree growth of Abies pindrow. Precipitation from January to May and winter-spring precipitation had shown significant correlations (p≤0.05) with the radial growth of Abies pindrow. These findings suggest that the sum of precipitation during these periods greatly influences the growth of Abies pindrow. In contrast, temperature does not appear to have a strong impact on radial growth. Other factors, such as DTR and PDSI, have shown weak or insignificant correlations with Tree-Ring Width (TRW), except for a significant negative association between August DTR and TRW.
The study findings suggested that the growth of Abies pindrow in the study area was more sensitive to precipitation rather than temperature, DTR, and PDSI. These results highlighted the importance of further dendroclimatological research and climate reconstruction utilizing the tree-ring chronology developed in this study. Such investigations can provide valuable insights into the past climate variations and help understand the long-term ecological dynamics of Abies pindrow forests
To Cite this article:
Asad, F., M. Adil, S. Shaid and M. Ahmed. 2024. Dendrochronological study of Abies pindrow (Royle ex D. Don) Royle (Fir) as aspect of tree growth and climate change analysis in Hindu Kush, northern Pakistan. Pak. J. Bot., 56(5): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2024-5(6)
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