Abstract:Qilian Mountain is an important ecological barrier in the northwest China, while Qinghai Spruce is the main arbor species of forest ecosystem in the middle section of Qilian Mountain, which has important strategic significance for maintaining the ecological security of Qilian Mountain. Phenology is an indicator that forest responses to environmental changes. Accurately analyzing the bio-temperature and physiological responses of forests to climate change at the catchment scale is the key to study the impact of global change on ecosystems, and to evaluate the cycle of nutrients, water, energy, and carbon in the forest ecosystem under current environmental changes. The in-depth research and accurate analysis of the relationship between forest phenology and physiological indices of trees and climate can provide scientific basis for accurately describing the structure, function, ecological and hydrological processes of forests, and also provide theoretical guidance for sustainable management of water conservation forests. The study of the relationship between them and the environment is an important task of forest ecology under climate changes. In this paper, phenology of the leaf expansion and cone matures of Qinghai Spruce were monitored for two consecutive years (2015-2016), their dynamic changes were analyzed, and their relationships with air temperature, precipitation, soil temperature, and soil water content were studied. The conclusions are as belows. The average temperature in 2016 at an elevation of 2700m in the research area was 0.37 ℃ higher than that in 2015. The spruce leaf development started 3 days earlier in 2016 than 2015. The cone ripening period of Qinghai Spruce was 2 days ahead in 2016 than 2015. The increase of accumulated temperature was the reason for the increase of phenological duration. When it reached a certain value, the phenology change of Qinghai spruce would occur. There was a significant positive correlation (P < 0.01) between the duration of Qinghai Spruce leaf expansion stage and the precipitation in the previous month. Both the leaf expansion stage and cone mature period were significantly affected by the precipitation in the previous month. The precipitation had a certain degree of lagging effect on the phenology of the Qinghai Spruce leaf expansion stage and cone mature period. The duration of Qinghai Spruce leaf expansion stage had significantly positive correlation (P < 0.01) with the soil temperature when the leaf expansion stage began, that was, the duration of leaf phenology duration was extended during the increase in soil temperature. The duration of cone mature period had significantly negative correlation (P < 0.01) with the soil temperature when the cone mature period began, that was, the duration of cone mature period was shortened during the increase in soil temperature. Both the phenology of Qinghai Spruce leaf expansion stage and cone mature period were significantly affected by the soil water content in the previous month. The impact of the soil water content on Qinghai Spruce leaf expansion stage and cone mature period had a certain degree of hysteresis.