Abstract: Background, aim, and scopePinus sylvestris var. mongolica is the main tree species of the Three-North Shelterbelt Project in China. The relationships between tree rings and climatic factors are helpful to serve the construction of regional ecological civilization. Materials and methods Through the study of the tree-ring samples in the core area of the Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica protected area in the Hulunbeier Sandy Land, the characteristics of the growth-climate response of the tree species in the forest were revealed. Results: the residual chronology had better capability of reflecting climatic signal than the standard chronology did. Discussion Moisture was the main limiting factor for the radial growth of Pines in the core area. The residual chronology was significantly correlated with the total precipitation from August of last year to July of current year (0.512, p<0.01). In the past 81 years, the extreme wet and the dry events appeared 15 years and 11 years, respectively. The chronology of the Pines in the core area had a significant 2-8 year periodic signal, and the spatial correlation showed that the residual chronology showed a certain representation of regional hydrological climate change. Conclusions Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica had potential capability for hydrological study on regional scales. Recommendations and perspectives The climatic and environmental factors of tree growth in the core area were identified, which could improve the adaptive capacity of global change and its adversely affect.
Keywords: Growth-climatic response; Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica; Hulunbeier sandy land