climate adaptation in white oak (Quercus alba, L.): a forty-year study of growth and phenology

Climate change poses a significant threat to the resilience and sustainability of forest ecosystems. This study examines the performance of white oak (Quercus alba, L.) across a range of provenances in a common garden planting, focusing on the species’ response to climatic variables and the potential role of assisted migration in forest management. We evaluated the survival and growth rates of white oak provenances originating from various points along a latitudinal gradient over a period of 40 years. These provenances were planted in a common garden situated near the midpoint of this latitudinal gradient, where we also monitored their phenological traits, such as budburst and leaf senescence. The results revealed substantial variation in phenological responses and growth patterns among the provenances, with southern provenances demonstrating faster growth and later senescence relative to local sources, with limited impact on survival. In contrast, the northern provenances demonstrated ..., Data were collected as described in Thomas AM, Coggeshall MV, O’Connor PA, Nelson CD. Climate Adaptation in White Oak (Quercus alba, L.): A Forty-Year Study of Growth and Phenology. Forests. 2024; 15(3):520. https://doi.org/10.3390/f15030520.
Briefly, tree height, DBH, and phenological measurements were collected at the Starve-Hollow State Recreation Area by study authors throughout the 40-year study. Increment cores were collected in 2023 and mounted for precision measurement using a Velmex TA measurement system.
Contact Austin M. Thomas at [e-mail] or [e-mail] for additional information., , # Postage stamp common garden 40yr provenance

[Access this dataset on Dryad](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.m37pvmd94)

Complete data related to the 40-year-old (as of 2023) white oak (Quercus alba) \"Postage Stamp\" common garden planting located at Starve Hollow State Recreation area near Vallonia, Indiana. Contact Austin M. Thomas at [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail]) or [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail]) for additional information.

These data include tree height and DBH measurements, as well as phenological and dendrochronological measurements.

## Description of the data and file structure

Sections:

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Section 1, Position and allometric data (col A-AF)
Columns A through AF are position data and alometric measurements. Measurement and unit descriptions are in Row 1.

Location ID: Location ID in 'Row-Column' format.
tree ID: Unique tree identifier.
Col: Column number(excluding border trees). Column number increases from West to East.
R...