Drought tolerance of fir in Thuringia

The FirSiT (FirSuitability in Thuringia) research project is being carried out together with partners from the forestry sector in Thuringia and is concerned with the drought tolerance of tree species, in particular silver fir.

The aim is to analyze the drought tolerance of silver fir in order to assess its suitability under the conditions of climate change and to derive recommendations for action for forest management.

FirSiT uses various terrestrial measurement methods to measure changes in tree trunk diameter and derive drought stress indicators. These measurements are supplemented by remote sensing methods.

In view of the climatic changes that are severely damaging the forests in Thuringia and other regions of Germany, there is a considerable need for research into the drought tolerance of silver fir. FirSiT aims to help maintain the diverse functions of forests and secure the supply of raw materials for the timber industry.

The project aims to facilitate a sustainable transfer of knowledge into practice and to lay the conceptual foundations for further research projects in this field. In the long term, the possibilities of combined drought stress analysis methods are to be investigated in order to achieve faster and more comprehensive results on the drought tolerance of tree species.