Impact of frost damage due to climate warming on growth and distribution of Fagus crenata.

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We examined tree-ring growth of Fagus crenata and estimated daily mean- and minimum-air-temperature and frequency of late frost after leaf-flushing for 49 years (1961-2009) at four sites in Mt. Hakkoda, Aomori prefecture, northern Japan, including Tashirotaira, a basin in the area, to test if climate warming reduces growth of the species by increasing late frost damage. Times of the late frost for the duration ranged from one to four for each site. Out of the four sites, late frost reduced tree-ring growth at Tashirotaira. Also, in two areas including Tashirotaira, tree-ring growth correlated with the daily minimum air-temperature after leaf-flushing. The frequency of late frost was so low for the duration that we could not analyze relationship between late frost damage and climate warming.