1. Phenological variation and frost damage in a European beech provenance trial Dušan Gömöry & Ladislav Paule Technical University in Zvolen, Faculty of Forestry, TG Masaryka 24, SK-96053 Zvolen, Slovakia

2. European beech provenance trial 1995 and 1998 (coordinated by Federal Forestry Research Institute, Grosshansdorf, Germany) Provenances Trial plots

3. Provenances represented in the Slovak trial plot

4. Height Survival Budburst phenology (01/04–01/06, 13 dates) 1. dormant buds 2. buds swollen and elongated 3. buds begin to burst, first green is visible 4. folded and hairy leaves begin to appear 5. individually visible folded and hairy leaves 6. leaves unfolded, still fan-shaped, pale scales present 7. leaves unfolded, smooth and bright Autumn discoloration (05/09–01/11, 6 dates) 1. green leaves 2. beginning of autumn coloured of individual leaves 3. beginning of autumn leaves colouring on a mass scale (5- 10 % of leaves coloured) 4. mass autumn leaves colouring (about 50 % of leaves coloured) 5. completed leaves colouring 6. leaves started to be brown and dried. Frost damage (23/04, 01/05) 0. no damaged leaves (less than 5%) 1. < 1/3 of leaves damaged 2. < 2/3 of leaves damaged 3. < 95% leaves damaged 4. all leaves (> 95%) damaged Scored traits

5. center width Phenological stages fitted to the sigmoid function assessed: mid stage duration Vegetation period = mid stage cessation (Julian day) – mid stage flushing (Julian day)

6. VariableHeightDiameter d0.2 Frost damage Flushing mid stage -0.342*** -0.195 -0.236*** -0.152 -0.786*** -0.903*** Flushing duration 0.068** 0.211 0.111*** 0.340* -0.065** 0.004 Cessation mid stage 0.217*** 0.431** 0.290*** 0.392* NA Cessation duration 0.066** 0.020 0.137*** 0.074 NA Vegetation period 0.462*** 0.504*** 0.414*** 0.429** NA Frost damage0.147*** 0.045 0.045* 0.051 NA Results Correlations (single tree level / provenance level)

7. Results Rangewide altitudinal trends in adaptive traits Flushing mid stage = 36.05 –.0075 alt P<.0001 R 2 =.287 Cessation mid stage = 40.75 –.0036 altP=.0006 R 2 =.119 Cessation duration = 44.28 –.0091 altP<.0001 R 2 =.413 Frost damage =.311 +.00087 altP<.0001 R 2 =.290 No significant models for survival and flushing duration No significant non-linear models

8. Results Rangewide geographic trends Frost damage Flushing mid-stage Flushing duration Cessation mid-stage Cessation durationSurvivalVegetation period flush_dur = –10.149 + 1.593*flush_mid – 0.025*flush_mid 2 max = 127.44 days P=0.0001 R 2 =0.1829 cess_dur = 20.913 + 0.472 cess_mid P<0.0001 R 2 =0.0947

9. Results Rangewide geographic trends SurvivalDay of leaf-discoloration mid-stageDuration of flushingDuration of leaf discolorationDay of flushing mid-stage

10. Conclusions stationary patterns rather than rangewide geographic trends in most traits flushing date is the main determinant of late frost damage