Drought and heat are increasingly affecting our forests and urban green spaces. This raises important questions for forestry professionals and municipal authorities:

How severely are our trees stressed by drought and heat?

During periods of drought and heat, it is essential to understand how stress intensity changes over time. What is the current stress level, and how quickly can a tree recover after a period of stress?

Do we need to irrigate our trees?

Where irrigation is feasible, for example in urban green spaces, should we irrigate? If so, when, how much water is needed, and what resources are required? Or can the trees cope with drought without additional irrigation?

Should we measure soil moisture?

Soil moisture data indicate how dry the soil is at a particular measurement location and depth. However, it is often unclear at which depths roots take up water. How much can soil moisture data therefore tell us about the trees’ water supply?

Will our trees cope with drought and heat in the long term?

Or should we choose more climate-resilient tree species and varieties for future planting?

The trees themselves provide the answer. Dendrometers allow us to measure directly and continuously how a tree responds to its environment. The data provide valuable information about:

• Drought stress and recovery after dry periods
• Resistance and resilience to drought
• The need for irrigation and its effectiveness
• Growth and vitality
• Differences between tree species, sites or irrigation strategies
• The long-term development of trees

This provides an objective basis for informed decisions on irrigation, tree care and species selection for climate adaptation.

The dendrometer curves shown illustrate how differently two trees can respond to the same dry period.

Tree 1 (red) shows little overall growth. During dry periods, growth quickly stops completely, and the stem sometimes even shrinks due to drought. Recovery afterwards is also limited. In this case, the need for irrigation or a general improvement in site conditions should be assessed.

Tree 2 (blue), by contrast, shows considerably stronger and more consistent growth. It continues to grow during parts of the dry periods and recovers much better afterwards. It appears to cope better with the existing conditions.

Such differences often become visible to the naked eye only at a late stage. Dendrometers reveal them early.

ECOMATIK dendrometers are affordable, easy to install and maintenance-free for years.

Our Internet of Plants (IoP) automatically transmits the measurement data, allowing you to continuously monitor your trees’ development without having to take regular measurements on site.

The tree itself shows how well it is coping with climate change. We just need to listen.