Université de Fribourg

Rockfall and snow avalanche impacts leave different anatomical signatures in tree rings of juvenile Larix decidua

Stoffel, Markus ; Hitz, Oliver M.

In: Tree Physiology, 2008, vol. 28, no. 11, p. 1713-1720

Rockfall and snow avalanche events often cause injury to European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) trees, giving rise to the formation of callus tissue and tangential rows of traumatic resin ducts (TRDs). We analyzed and quantified anatomical reactions of juvenile trees injured before the start of the growing season by snow avalanches (15 trees, 324 cross sections) or rockfalls (18 trees, 270...

Université de Fribourg

Application of ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) roots to determine erosion rates in mountain torrents

Hitz, Oliver M. ; Gärtner, Holger W. ; Heinrich, Ingo ; Monbaron, Michel

In: Catena, 2008, vol. 72, no. 2, p. 248-258

Due to the effect of global change, the potential risk of natural hazards occurring in alpine areas is expected to increase to an even higher risk-level than has been recorded during the last century. These global changes potentially also have distinct influences on fluvial processes in torrents causing erosion on slopes and riverbanks in forested areas. Dating the time of root exposure along...