Find in Library

Urbanization and climate change are two inevitable megatrends of this century. Knowledge about the growth responses of urban trees to climate is of utmost importance towards future management of green infrastructure with the aim of a sustainable provision of the environmental ecosystem services. Using tree-ring records, this study analyzed growth response to climate by stem diameter at breast height (DBH) of 1178 trees in seven large cities worldwide, including <i>Aesculus hippocastanum</i> L. in Munich; <i>Platanus × hispanica</i> Münchh. in Paris; <i>Quercus nigra</i> L. in Houston; <i>Quercus robur</i> L. in Cape Town; <i>Robinia pseudoacacia</i> L. in Santiago de Chile, Munich, and Würzburg; and <i>Tilia cordata</i> Mill. in Berlin, Munich, and Würzburg. Climate was characterized following the de Martonne aridity index (DMI). Overall, trees showed an 8.3% lower DBH under arid than humid climate at the age of 100. Drought-tolerant tree species were overall not affected by climate. However, <i>R. pseudoacacia</i> showed a lower diameter when growing in semi-dry than humid climate. In contrast, drought-sensitive tree species were negatively affected by arid climate. Moreover, the effect of drought years on annual diameter increment was assessed. <i>P. × hispanica</i> and <i>R. pseudoacacia</i> appeared as the most drought-resistant species. The highest sensitivity to drought was detected in <i>T. cordata</i> and <i>Q. robur</i>. <i>A. hippocastanum</i> and <i>Q. nigra</i> showed a lower diameter growth during drought events, followed by a fast recovery. This study’s findings may contribute to a better understanding of urban tree growth reactions to climate, aiming for sustainable planning and management of urban trees.