We present the first European network of tree ring δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O, containing 23 sites from Finland to Morocco. Common climate signals are found over broad climatic‐ecological ranges. In temperate regions we find positive correlations with summer maximum temperatures and negative correlations with summer precipitation and Palmer Drought Severity Indices (PDSI) with no obvious species‐specific differences. Regional δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O chronologies share high common variance in year‐to‐year variations. Long‐term variations, however, exhibit differences that may reflect spatial variability in environmental forcings, age trends and/or plant physiological responses to increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentration. Rotated principal component analysis (RPCA) and climate field correlations enable the identification of four sub‐regions in the δ¹⁸O network ‐ northern and eastern Central Europe, Scandinavia and the western Mediterranean. Regional patterns in the δ¹³C network are less clear and are timescale dependent. Our results indicate that future reconstruction efforts should concentrate on δ¹⁸O data in the identified European regions.

In recent years, bio-based wood adhesives have gained an increased industrial and research interest as an environmentally friendly and renewable alternative to the commercial petroleum-based synthetic adhesives used in the wood-based industry. Due to its renewability, abundance, relatively low price, and good adhesion properties, starch is a promising natural feedstock for synthesizing bio-based adhesives for wood-based composites. This review aims to summarize the recent advances in developing sustainable starch-based wood adhesives for manufacturing non-toxic, low-emission wood composites with enhanced properties and lower environmental impact. Recent developments in starch modification, physical, and enzymatic treatments applied to improve the performance of starch-based wood adhesives, mainly in terms of improving their water resistance and bonding strength, are also outlined and discussed.