To understand how radial growth of Abies fargesii var. faxoniana on different slopes in the mid-Min mountains responds to major climatic factors, how stable these responses are under climate change, and to provide a scientific foundation for elucidating the adaptive mechanisms of subalpine coniferous forests in response to climate change, thereby informing their conservation and management strategies.

Using 48 tree-ring cores collected from the east and west slopes of the mid-Min mountains and using the dplR package in R, tree-ring chronologies were developed and growth trends were removed. Spearman correlation analysis and 21-year moving correlation analysis were applied to examine the responsiveness and stability of A. fargesii to monthly precipitation, mean temperature, mean maximum temperature, and mean minimum temperature from 1951 to 2022.

Significant differences in the statistical characteristics of the standard chronologies between the eastern and western slopes were present. A. fargesii on the east slope exhibited higher sensitivity to the key climatic factors, with divergent response relationships, response stability and temporal patterns compared to that on the west slope. The negative correlation between the eastern-slope A. fargesii chronology and previous May precipitation became significant after the beginning of the 21st century, whereas the significantly negative correlation with current September precipitation gradually weakened after 1975. Meanwhile, trees on the west slope displayed unstable correlations with current June and September precipitation, but maintained a significant and stable positive association with previous August precipitation. Radial growth on both slopes was limited by July-August air temperatures of the previous year but promoted by air temperatures during the dormant period and growing season of the current year, with trees on the western slope more sensitive to air temperature. Trees on the west slope exhibited a gradual weakening of the previously significant negative response to the previous July mean temperature, while those on the east slope showed temporal instability in the same correlation.

The response patterns of A. fargesii on the eastern and western slopes of the central Minshan mountains to precipitation and air temperature were inconsistent, and the response relationships exhibited marked non-stationarity and dynamic variability across different time scales, indicating that slope aspect is an important factor influencing the climatic response of radial growth in A. fargesii.