Dendrochronology of Central European temperate forest tree species : effects of long term climate change trends and short term weather extremes Forests are key biomes linked to biogeochemical cycles important species reservoirs and major ecosystem services providers. The observed global climate change in the 20th century has the potential to deeply affect the conservation functioning and structure of these ecosystems. Expressed as rising average temperatures due to the increase in atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide nitrate oxide and methane pollutants which are mostly product of burning fuel for industrial activities. These long term changes will be heterogeneous in time and space throughout the globe. For northeastern Germany predictions indicate that summer temperature and winter precipitation will be at a constant rise whereas summer precipitation is expected to decrease conditions will increase the risk of drought conditions. The changes in long term means will be accompanied by increased frequency of weather extremes. The overall effect of climate change both its long and short term components and their interaction with forest growth is uncertain. Tree species in the temperate forest are highly adapted to seasonal growth active in late spring and summer when temperature thresholds activate primary and secondary growth as well as leaf development given sufficient water availability. During winter they become dormant as an strategy to decrease damage by freezing temperatures. These adaptations ultimately determine species distributions as they occur along climate ... Dendrochronologie Klimawandel Waldökologie climate change dendrochronology forest ecology xylogenesis