Due to the ongoing drought in Belgium, several trees are losing their leaves early due to drought stress, the nature protection organisation Natuurpunt announced on Tuesday.
The leaves of trees suffering from the significant drought are already changing colour much earlier. Even though autumn has not even begun yet, trees are even dropping their leaves prematurely in some cases.
As a result, they stop evaporation through their leaves to protect themselves. Some trees may have died due to the drought, although according to Natuurpunt, several factors could be at play.
Beeches, limes, common oaks, and silver birches, in particular, have suffered greatly during increasingly prolonged droughts. "Yet, trees can easily overcome temporary periods of stress and recover when the period is over," Natuurpunt stated.
Complex ecosystems
Nevertheless, a succession of different periods of stress without sufficient recovery time can be detrimental to all organisms. "Trees that have already survived several droughts may well succumb to the next drought," writes the nature organisation.
Forests, on the other hand, are more resilient to periods of stress. A forest is a complex ecosystem that is naturally moister and cooler. This microclimate significantly increases the survival chances of trees in forests.
According to Natuurpunt, the suggestion to plant more trees from southern regions in Belgium is still premature. They believe that native trees that do survive the periods of stress could become more prominent.
For example, according to scientists at the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), the beech is the uncrowned king of the forest. While its older relatives are still struggling with a lack of water, young beech trees seem to be unaffected by the drought.
