Tiny changes in tree stem radius, often only a few micrometres, contain a wealth of information about tree growth dynamics, water status and responses to environmental stress at hourly, daily or seasonal timescales. Dendrometers provide this data, in some cases with near-real time online access. A network of dendrometers over larger regions allows monitoring of biological dynamics of forests across ecosystems and species ranges, identifying trends, disentangling stressors, and more. To bring together dendrometer users, create synergies, and foster collaboration, we are in the process of establishing a global dendrometer network (https://globaldendro.org/), accompanied by a metadatabase with easy-to-access information about region, species coverage, number and type of dendrometers, and more. In this session, we invite contributions to share ideas, results and discuss implications from all areas of dendrometer-related research, including but not limited to
- Forest productivity
- Dendrometers and carbon sequestration
- Dendrometers and water regulation
- Comparison of dendrometer types
- Dendrometers to build drought stress indicators
- Dendrometers and remote sensing proxies
- Methodological developments for dendrometer data analysis