Assessing climate constraints on Fagus sylvatica L. in the Northern Apennines through the analysis of xylem anatomical traits

European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is one of the major European species, its natural distribution spans most of continental Europe making it the most abundant deciduous forest tree in Central Europe. It's also a main species in the complex mountain of the Apennines which is its southern distribution range. The response of the beech forest, located in the northern Apennines, to the increasingly worried and rapid climate change was investigated. The results of the wood anatomical analysis showed a significant positive correlation of the selected anatomical parameters to the monthly minimum and maximum temperature respectively in January and January and August of the current year. In general, the analyses at the level of daily and windows, brought a greater detail of information, confirming however the cruder results at the level of the monthly resolution ring.