The growth of trees directly reflects the performance of entire forest stands. Among other things, it depends on soil conditions, the genetic make-up of the stand, climatic conditions, the influence of air pollutants and biotic influences (e.g. fungi, insects). In order to ensure resilient forest ecosystems in the long term, questions regarding the site-dependent selection of tree species, the growth response to environmental conditions, and the effects of different utilization strategies under climate change must be answered.

We record the growth of trees using a dendrometer, for example. In contrast to traditional growth measurement tapes, modern dendrometers enable automatic, continuous measurement of diameter changes. This allows the effects of extreme climatic events on tree growth to be recorded in real time. This can now also be tracked in real time on the intensive monitoring area in Britz. Follow our tweeting tree at: Treewatch Intensive monitoring site Britz.