... with a single exception of the fl ushing midpoint date, proving that the spa-tial arrangement of blocks used was very ineffi cient in handling the microenvironmental variation with- in the trial ... However, the question remains how the variation in traits of interest can be linked with directly measurable environmental indicators. e aim of this study was to clarify to what extent the spatial ... centre of the plot, whereas they decrease to- wards the margins, in uenced microclimatically by the adjacent beech stands. Consequently, soil moisture is high along the southern side of the tri-al...