Common garden experiment with birches

Common garden experiment with Betula pendula and Betula pubescens was established in 2016. The plant material was micro propagated from three locations: Italy, Punkaharju (Southern Finland) and Northern Finland (Kittilä).  The experimental layout consists of two Betula species, three origins and 4-5 genotypes per origin. Common garden sites are located in the same areas as the origins, i.e. Italy (Florence), Punkaharju (Southern Finland) and Kolari (Northern Finland). In each site we have two replicate fields with different soil characteristics. In total, we have 1800 trees in our experiment. The clonal trees have been measured for growth, leaf traits, herbivory and pathogen infections. Statistical strength of the experiment is very good, because there are 10 replicates for each genotype/study site, and clonal material is used. Ecologically-relevant data derived from this experiment can show us the acclimation capacity of Betula species in rapidly warming, dynamic environment.

We aim to continue this common garden experiment as long as possible, because long-term experiments in real-life conditions are necessary for understanding potential of forest trees in changing climate. New collaborators are more than welcome!