Deploying a radius dendrometer network to reveal the seasonal growth of trees

For many non-commercial but abundant tree species, detailed knowledge about their seasonal timing of wood formation is lacking. Radius dendrometers are a way of detailly assessing stem diameter variations, that contain both information on tree water status as well as irreversible growth. Recently, low-cost sensors allow to expand the number of replicates and species to assess in detail the seasonal growth of trees. Here we present preliminary results on a dendrometer network (400+ dendrometers) in Belgium (12 species) and in Central-Africa (59 species), and we discuss future avenues for research. Especially the link with dendro-anatomy will be made, and will be specifically challenging for tropical species. Knowing the seasonal window of tree growth allows us to interpret dendroclimatic analysis in temperate regions, and allows us to explore seasonal tropical tree growth, which holds many uncertainties and where rings are not always periodical and visible.