Thinning prolongs growth duration of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) across a valley in southwestern Germany

For both wet and dry years, reduced competition through thinning was found to stimulate growth and to prolong growth duration. Hence, thinning may be suggested as an adaptive forest management tool that may reduce stand vulnerability to drought. Further, this study illustrates that comparable growth levels can be achieved through very different seasonal growth patterns, thereby stressing the importance of intra-annual studies to increase the understanding on growth determinism of beech.