This study focuses on analyzing the growth rate and growth–climate relationship in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growing on coastal dunes of different ages on the Southern Baltic coast. Podzols have developed on these dunes. Depending on dune age, however, podzols are characterized by a different degree of development and richness, which represents the main factor differentiating the studied habitats: the oldest brown dunes (BD), younger yellow dunes (YD), and the youngest white dunes (WD). Samples were taken from 68 trees using Pressler borers. Using classic cross-dating methods, local chronologies were compiled that served as the basis for further analyses. Basic analyses of soil properties were also performed. Trees growing on brown dunes display the widest tree-rings and the highest rate of cumulative radial growth. Both rates are the lowest for trees growing on white dunes (WD). The dominant meteorological factor shaping tree-ring widths is late winter/early spring air temperature (February/March). However, in poorer habitats with inferior soil air–water conditions, rainfall sums and rainfall distribution through the year become progressively more significant factors. On white dunes (WD), the strongest growth–climate correlations are obtained for summer precipitation. These results identify habitat richness as the main factor shaping growth dynamics in Scots pines growing on dunes. Due to the protective function of the studied tree stands (coast protection), and in light of the rising sea levels and increasing storm intensities, further studies are required, aiming at understanding all interrelationships occurring in these valuable ecosystems.

Intermediate hawthorn (Crataegus × media Bechst.) is broadly distributed in Europe but very rarely examined by dendrochronologists. In NW Poland, it is one of three naturally occurring hawthorn species, growing mainly at forest margins, along roads, in mid-field woodlots, and on uncultivated land. Biocenotically, it is a very valuable species. This study aimed to determine the age of trees, tree-ring dynamics, and growth–climate relationship for intermediate hawthorn. Signature years were also determined. Samples for analysis were collected from 22 trees growing in a typical agricultural landscape in a monospecific mid-field woodlot comprised of several hundred specimens of various ages and forms (shrubs and trees). Using classic methods of dendrochronological dating, a 40-year long chronology spanning 1981–2020 was constructed. The radial growth rate of intermediate hawthorn is comparable to other tree species forming stands in NW Poland and equals 2.41 mm/year. Considerable intersubject variability is noted, from 1.48 to 4.44 mm/year. The chronology was also used for dendroclimatological analyses, including correlation and response function and signature years. Of the meteorological parameters analyzed, annual incremental growth in hawthorn is the most strongly shaped by precipitation totals from May to August of the current vegetation year: high rainfall favors the formation of wide tree-rings. Statistically significant growth–climate relationships were also obtained for winter months (December of the preceding vegetation year, January and February), for which period negative correlation and regression values are noted for air temperature and insolation. Furthermore, high precipitation, low-temperature and low insolation late in the preceding vegetation year (especially in August) make a positive influence on the condition of trees in the upcoming growing season. Signature year analysis clearly pointed to precipitation as the dominant factor in shaping tree-rings in the studied hawthorn population. As there are no dendrochronological papers concerning indigenous hawthorn species, future studies should be expanded to include diverse geographic locations and habitat conditions and should include all three species of hawthorn occurring in Poland.

During an interdisciplinary study of the mire “Torfowisko pod Małym Śnieżnikiem”, a very old specimen of the Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) was encountered. The aim of the present work was to perform a detailed examination of this tree, to compare it to other spruce trees on the mire, and to provide support for establishing protection for this tree stand. Tree ring cores were sampled at 1.3 m above ground using a Pressler borer, in two field campaigns: June and July 2023, the latter campaign aiming to find the oldest trees. A total of 46 trees were sampled, yielding 84 measured radii. Tree ring widths were measured down to 0.01 mm under a stereomicroscope. The oldest sampled tree yielded a total of 370 tree rings in the two radii, representing the period 1653–2022. The average tree ring width for this oldest tree equals 0.33 mm/year, and shows low values (on average 0.19 mm/year) for the period 1742–1943, i.e., during the Little Ice Age cooling. Changes in the tree ring width coincide with periods of cooling and warming in the nearby Tatra Mountains. The oldest tree does not stand out from other trees from the population with respect to height or trunk diameter. A comparison of the age of this tree to the oldest spruce trees in Poland indicates that it is one of the longest living specimens of this species. Considering the natural character of the stand, the remaining flora, and the peat-forming processes taking place within the mire “Pod Małym Śnieżnikiem”, we argue that the mire should become protected by the law as soon as possible in order to preserve this valuable high mountain habitat.

The article presents the characteristics of rock material used as a building material in medieval stone churches. Macroscopic petrographic analysis showed that the rock blocks used for the construction of medieval churches in the Kołbaskowo commune were generally made of material available on site. They were rocks originating from Fennoscandia but extracted from sediments deposited by ice sheets that had advanced in from the north. The obtained results were compared against macroscopic analyses of the petrographic composition of Scandinavian erratic boulders in the area and accumulations of raw material in megalithic objects. The results of petrographic observations made it possible to distinguish the basic types of rock materials used in the construction of the churches. The most commonly used materials were: granitoids, gneisses, rhyolithoids, sandstones and quartzites. All the churches built in the 13th century within what is today Kołbaskowo commune show a predominance of granitoids.

A dendrochronological study was conducted on a submontane raised bog, Bór na Czerwonem, in the Orava–Nowy Targ Basin in Southern Poland. In the past, the bog was drained to enable peat extraction. In recent years, a number of measures considered as active protection were undertaken, including the construction of ridges and locks, filling of the drainage trenches, and clearance of most of the tree stand on the bog dome. Pinus sylvestris, P. × rhaetica, and P. mugo were the focuses of the study, which aimed to determine the age of the genus stand and its age structure and to identify the factors influencing tree ring width. The age of the trees indicates a post-war succession induced by large-scale drainage in 1942, although single trees were present on the bog dome as early as the late 19th century, and probably earlier. High values of pith eccentricity at ground level testify to substratum instability and the impact of strong winds on tree ring formation. The growth–climate relationships change with the progressive climate change: the significance of insolation increases, while the significance of the absolute air temperature decreases. The thermal and pluvial conditions of the summer in the previous growth season, however, make the strongest impact on the tree ring width in the following growth season. The health of the trees left growing on the bog, due to the constantly rising water level, will likely deteriorate, and a decreasing number of seedlings will be observed. A full assessment of the conducted restoration efforts, however, will be possible after years of monitoring of the bog environment.

Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) growing in mountain forests is a sensitive indicator of environmental variability, but its growth response may be strongly modified by local site conditions, which is important for sustainable forest management under climate change. This study examined two spruce populations in the upper montane zone of the Śnieżnik Massif, Eastern Sudetes, southwestern Poland: one growing on a raised bog (Sadzonki—TS) and the other on mineral soil (Owczarnia—OW). Tree-ring width (TRW) chronologies were developed from 59 sampled trees and discs, covering 1781–2023 for TS and 1800–2023 for OW. Annual δ¹³C analysis was performed for a selected TS tree, and decadal wood geochemistry was analyzed for a selected disc. Spruces growing on the raised bog showed TRW less half in comparison to trees on mineral soil. TRW was mainly controlled by summer or spring–summer temperature, while precipitation had a stronger positive effect at the mineral-soil site. δ¹³C showed weak relationships with TRW but negative correlations with mean annual and summer temperature. Elevated concentrations of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, and Pb occurred mainly in 1941–1950 and 1971–1980, indicating the influence of historical air pollution. The contrasting growth trends and health status of the two populations demonstrate that local habitat conditions strongly shape spruce responses to environmental change and should be considered in sustainable mountain forest conservation and adaptation strategies.