Dendrochronological assessment of climate risks for the restoration of oak forests in the Ukrainian Polissya

The deterioration of climatic conditions caused by global warming poses a threat to the sustainable development of forest ecosystems, particularly oak stands, which are an important component of Ukraine’s forestry sector. The purpose of the study was to determine the growth responses of Quercus robur L. trees to long-term climatic changes leading to increased aridity in the conditions of the Ukrainian Polissya. The gradients of the temperate climate in the locations where Quercus robur L. trees grow in Ukraine were analysed, namely the climatic factors (extreme temperatures, precipitation) that affect the growth and development of trees on a monthly and seasonal time scale. The results provide important information on the regional prospects for UKRAINIAN JOURNAL OF FOREST AND WOOD SCIENCE Journal homepage: https://forestscience.com.ua/en Ukrainian Journal of Forest and Wood Science, 16(4) Vol. 16, No. 4, 2025 Ukrainian Journal of Forest and Wood Science 9 Oliynyk et al. adapted to the area. The authors А. Wallraf & S. Wagner suggested that any statistical correlations between climatic conditions and growth indicators may be questionable in terms of cause-and-effect relationships. Nevertheless, M. Steckel et al. (2020) be - lieved that climatic gradients, which are en - tirely random in nature, have both a direct and indirect impact on tree growth and develop - ment, as rising temperatures accelerate chem - ical reactions that release nutrients, enhancing the growth of trees and microbial populations, while reducing humidity and stimulating soil droughts. The impact of climatic stresses on the common oak ( Quercus robur L .) in the for - est-steppe zone of Ukraine, studied by I.M. Kov- al & A. Bräuning (2024), causes noticeable re - actions in the radial growth of trees to climate variations. Depressions in radial tree growth were observed in years with low precipitation and elevated ground temperatures, while maxi- mum growth was observed in years with favour- able temperature and humidity conditions for tree growth. A study by R. Puchałka et al. (2024)