Managed mature forests help regulate the global climate system and support the basic needs of society by providing goods and services. Nonetheless, in recent decades the exacerbation of human-induced climate change warming threatens forest resilience and, thus, the provision of forest ecosystem services in society. In Central Europe, the increase in temperature and the change in precipitation patterns caused an increase in the intenstiy and recurrence of drought periods. These changes already triggered a rise in the rates of forest mortality, as a direct consequence of limiting tree physiological processes and, indirectly, through related biotic disturbances that further diminish the forest resilience to future droughts. Overall, current management strategies may need revision. On that basis, the principal aim of this thesis was to assess the risk of extreme drought events in mature forests of Norway spruce and silver fir in the Black Forest region (SW Germany) and support the decision-making process for drought adaptation.
