Diagnosis of Growth Disturbances

Abstract

This chapter introduces methods for long-term growth analyses which are oriented at the available data pool from inventories, temporary and long-term research plots, increment cores and stem analyses. They can be ordered in four groups according to the type of reference used. Due to its low priority in the allocation hierarchy, stem increment in breast height (radial, diameter or basal area increment) is particularly sensitive – even though unspecific – to disturbances and suitable for diagnosis of disturbances. The comparison between disturbed and reference growth behaviour makes it possible to determine the beginning, duration and strength of the growth reaction, and may help to find the disturbance sources.