The impact of sea erosion on coastal Pinus pinea stands. A diachronic analysis combining tree-rings and ecological markers

Coastal erosion is a widespread phenomenon on sandy coasts throughout the Mediterranean region; along the Thyrrenian coast of Tuscany (Italy), stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) stands originally planted for the protection of agricultural crops further inland are often damaged. In the present study, a pairwise comparison of stands at different distance from the sea at eroded and control sites highlighted the effects of coastal erosion alone on pine growth and function. Dendroecological analyses made it possible to determine the temporal dynamics of the phenomenon since 1930 and the interactions with climate, whilst additional structural (LAI, sapwood area) and functional (carbon isotope discrimination) measurements were used to discriminate between stress mechanisms. Salty winds, exacerbated by the removal of dunal vegetation, were found to be the most likely cause of the observed growth decline. The presence and, in more recent times, the reduction of surfactants in sea water played an important synergistic effect. The intrusion of salty water in the water table, on the contrary, played a marginal role at the site. Finally, stressed trees were more sensitive to the inter-annual variability in precipitation; at all sites, growth was stimulated by June, November and December precipitation in the current and two preceding years.