Climate change has amplified the need to understand the locations with high risk for long-term ecological stability, particularly in the face of extreme events that can cause rapid ecosystem shifts. Although a warmer climate will lead to a longer growing season for conifers of North Hemisphere, the productivity increase will partly be offset by a higher frequency of drought stress in summer and higher autotrophic respiration in winter. Therefore, in the course of climate change and associated ‘hotter droughts’, an increased frequency of drought-induced forest die-back seems likely. Since the frequency and severity of drought are expected to increase, identification of impacts of drought on plant and tree growth and survival is crucial.