ABSTRACT It is widely accepted that climate change will see an increase in the frequency and intensity of drought events that will inevitably impact on the commercially-important coniferous forests in Western Europe. Of particular concern is the likely increase in the incidence of drought-induced, radial-longitudinal stem cracks that will have serious consequences for forest health and wood structural properties. This paper reviews the existing knowledge on drought-induced stem cracking in coniferous species. It summarises the current impact of drought on coniferous forests and predicted future impacts of a changing climate. Available information on the mechanism of radial splitting and the role of wood properties in this process is examined. It also considers the influence of soil properties on the development of drought stress within trees associated with stem cracking. The final part of the review discusses the knowledge gaps and suggestions for further research.

中文翻译：

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减轻气候变化中针叶树干旱引起的茎干裂的风险

摘要 人们普遍认为，气候变化将使干旱事件的频率和强度增加，这将不可避免地影响西欧具有重要商业价值的针叶林。特别令人担忧的是干旱引起的径向-纵向干裂的发生率可能会增加，这将对森林健康和木材结构特性产生严重后果。本文回顾了有关针叶树种干旱引起的茎干开裂的现有知识。它总结了干旱对针叶林的当前影响，并预测了气候变化对未来的影响。检查了有关径向劈裂机制和木材特性在此过程中的作用的可用信息。它还考虑了土壤特性对与茎干裂相关的树木内干旱胁迫发展的影响。评论的最后一部分讨论了知识差距和进一步研究的建议。