Stability assessment of tree ring growth of Pinus armandii Franch in response to climate change based on slope directions at the Lubanling in the Funiu Mountains, China

Global warming will affect growth strategies and how trees will adapt. To compare the response of tree radial growth to climate warming in different slope directions, samples of Pinus armandii Franch were collected and tree-ring chronologies developed on northern and western slopes from the Lubanling in the Funiu Mountains. Correlation analyses showed that two chronologies were mainly limited by temperatures in the previous June–August and the combination of temperatures and moisture in the current May–July. The difference of the climate response to slopes was small but not negligible. Radial growth of the LBL01 site on the northern slope was affected by the combined maximum and minimum temperatures, while that of the LBL02 site was affected by maximum temperatures. With regards to moisture, radial growth of the trees on the north slope was influenced by the relative humidity in the current May–July, while on the western slope, it was affected by the relative humidity in the previous June–August, the current May–July and the precipitation in the current May–July. With the change in climate, the effects of the main limiting factors on growth on different slopes were visible to a certain extent, but the differences in response of trees on different slopes gradually decreased, which might be caused by factors such as different slope directions and the change in diurnal temperature range. These results may provide information for forest protection and ecological construction in this region, and a scientific reference for future climate reconstruction.