europe’s forests and forestry in a changing climate part 1: … · 2019. 6. 14. · redwood, oak,...

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Europe’sforestsandforestryinachangingclimatePart1:Overviewandadaptationstrategies

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ForestareaEuropeancountries–Situation2018

Source:FAO(lastupdate18-10-2018)

0–10%10–20%20–30%30–40%40–50%50–60%>60%

Forestarea(%oflandarea):

2018:Globalforestareais31%ForestareainEuropeis38%

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Mediterranean

Temperategrasslands

Temperateforests

Borealforests

Tundra

Foresttype:

Treegrowthhinderedbylowtemperaturesandshortgrowingseasons

Coniferoustrees(fir,pine)arethedominanttrees

Largeandtalltreeswithwideleaves.Themaintreesarethegreatredwood,oak,ash,maple,birch,beech,poplar,elmandpine

Broad-leavedevergreenshrubs,bushesandsmalltrees

Grasslandplainswithouttreesapartfromthosenearriversandlakes

Foresttypes


Vulnerabilities

EcosystemservicesBenefitsChangesinsocio-economicresilience;changesinavailabilityofspecificforestproducts(timber,non-timberwoodproductsandfuelwood,wildfoods,medicines,andothernon-woodforestproducts);changesinthecultural,religiousandspiritualvaluesassociatedwithparticularforests.RegulationofwaterflowsChangesintheseasonalityandintensityofprecipitation,alteringtheflowregimesofstreams;changesinthesalinityofcoastalforestecosystems;increasedprobabilityofseveredroughts;increasedterraininstabilityandsoilerosionduetoincreasedprecipitationandmeltingofpermafrost;more/earliersnowmeltresultinginchangesinthetimingofpeakflowandvolumeinstreams.Thecapacityoftheforestecosystemtopurifywaterisanimportantservice,obviatingthecostofexpensivefiltrationplants.

BiomassandcarbonstocksProductivityChangesinforestgrowthandecosystembiomass;changesinspecies/siterelations;changesinecosystemnitrogendynamics.CarboncyclesAlterationofforestsinksandincreasedCO2emissionsfromforestedecosystemsduetochangesinforestgrowthandproductivity.Themorecarbonisaccumulatedinthetreesofaforest,themorethisforestcontributestothemitigationofclimatechange.ForestcoverConversionofforeststonon-woodyenergyplantations;accelerateddeforestationandforestdegradation;increaseduseofwoodfordomesticenergy;effectsofstorms(windthrows),wildfiresanddroughts.

BiodiversityAlterationofplantandanimaldistributions;lossofbiodiversity;habitatinvasionsbynon-nativespecies;alterationofpollinationsystems;changesinplantdispersalandregeneration.

ForesthealthIncreasedmortalityduetoclimatestresses;decreasedhealthandvitalityofforestecosystemsduetothecumulativeimpactsofmultiplestressors;deterioratinghealthofforest-dependentpeoples.

Theincreasedvulnerabilityofforests(andpeople)withrespecttoclimatechangereferstoseveralimpacts:


1.Improvesustainabilitythroughnear-natureforestmanagement:shiftfrommonoculturestomixed-species,mixed-ageforests

Adaptationstrategiesforestry

2.Improvetheresilienceoftheforestecosystem

4.Improveprotectionagainstweatherextremes

5.Adapttheprocessingindustrytothenewwoodsupply,toshorterwinterharvestingperiods,andtosoftsoilsandroads.Newharvestingtechniquesthatbettersuitnewconditionsneedtobedeveloped.

3.Improveprotectionagainstpestsanddiseases

Diverseforestsarestableandlesssusceptibletostormsandpestanddiseases,andhaveahighervaluefornatureandrecreation

Adaptationstrategies:Main5topics



Adaptspeciescompositiontothosespeciesthatareexpectedtoperformbetterunderachangedclimate(30yearsfromnow)

Naturalregenerationcreatesopportunitiesforutilisingthenaturalgeneticpotentialofthetreespeciesforadaptationtoclimatechange

Selectionoftheoriginofartificialregenerationmaterialandtheuseofimprovedmaterialwillallowamoreefficientresponsetoclimatechange

Ashorterrotationofforestandregularforestmanagementwillimproveadaptationbyacceleratingthespreadingofnew,geneticallybetteradaptedpopulationsandreducingtheriskofpestdamage

Rejuvenationofstandsontheonehandleadstoanincreasedadaptabilityof(young)individualtrees,andontheotherhandpromotesnaturalselectiontowardclimate-adaptedpopulations

Adaptationstrategies:Sustainability



Transformconiferousecosystemsinmixedforestorbroadleavedecosystems

Theestablishmentofmigrationcorridorsbetweenforestreservesmayaidintheautonomouscolonizationandmigrationofspeciesinresponsetoclimatechange

Replacespruce,oneofthemajorcommercialtreespeciesinEurope,andScotspinebyotherspeciesbetteradaptedtodroughts,andtomildandrainywinters,e.g.Douglasfirandbroad-leavedtrees

Morenaturalandbetteradaptedforestsrequireacceptanceofadynamicspeciescompositionandacceptanceofassociatedcostswithchangedcommercialvalueofproductionwood,asnewtimberspeciesmaynotfitthedemandsofthetimberprocessingindustry.


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NorthernEuropeisprojectedtoshowthehighestproductionincreasesunderclimatechangeandcanalsoadaptitsspeciesdistributionfaster.TheforestinNorthernEuropeisgenerallydistributedratherequallyovertheageclasses,andloweringtherotationlengthmakesaconsiderableadditionalamountofareaavailableforharvesting,resultinginfastadaptation.Besides,inNorthernEuropeonlyafewspeciesshowalowersuitabilityduetoclimatechange.

SouthwestEuropeisexpectedtofacethegreatestchallengebyacombinationofapredictedlossofproductionandaslowrateofmanagementalterationunderclimatechange.InSouthwestEurope,theageclassdistributionislessfavourableforadaptationwithalargeshareofrelativelyyoungstands,andthesuitabilityduetoclimatechangesaffectsalmostall(nineoutof10)species.


Newspeciesforagivenregionmightnotnecessarilyimplytheintroductionofalienspecies,butratherreplacingexistingspecieswithothersalreadygrowinginthewarmestanddriestareasofthecountry.SpeciesfromsouthernPortugal,forinstance,cangraduallyreplaceexistingspeciesinnorth-westernPortugal.



Mediterranean

Temperategrasslands

Temperateforests

Borealforests

Tundra

Foresttype:

NorthernEuropeisprojectedtoshowthehighestproductionincreasesunderclimatechangeandcanalsoadaptitsspeciesdistributionfaster.TheforestinNorthernEuropeisgenerallydistributedratherequallyovertheageclasses,andloweringtherotationlengthmakesaconsiderableadditionalamountofareaavailableforharvesting,resultinginfastadaptation.Besides,inNorthernEuropeonlyafewspeciesshowalowersuitabilityduetoclimatechange.

SouthwestEuropeisexpectedtofacethegreatestchallengebyacombinationofapredictedlossofproductionandaslowrateofmanagementalterationunderclimatechange.InSouthwestEurope,theageclassdistributionislessfavourableforadaptationwithalargeshareofrelativelyyoungstands,andthesuitabilityduetoclimatechangesaffectsalmostall(nineoutof10)species.

Newspeciesforagivenregionmightnotnecessarilyimplytheintroductionofalienspecies,butratherreplacingexistingspecieswithothersalreadygrowinginthewarmestanddriestareasofthecountry.SpeciesfromsouthernPortugal,forinstance,cangraduallyreplaceexistingspeciesinnorth-westernPortugal.




Mediterranean

Temperategrasslands

Temperateforests

Borealforests

Tundra

Foresttype:

Europeanforestsareveryinert.Ittakesalongtimetoinfluencethespeciesdistributionbyreplacingspeciesafterfinalfelling:

•  By2070,onaverageabout36%oftheareaexpectedtohavedecreasedspeciessuitabilitywillhavechangedspeciesfollowingbusinessasusualmanagement.

•  Alternativemanagement,consistingofshorterrotationsforthosespeciesandspeciesplantingbasedonexpectedtrendsofclimatechange(looking30yearsahead),willhaveincreasedthisspeciestransitionto40%

Largepartsoftheforestswillbeexposedtoclimateregimestheyarenotadaptedto,therebyincreasingtheriskoflarge-scalemortalityevents,forexampleduetodroughtandpests.



Reducedegradationofsoilfertilityandincreasetheamountofcarbonboundinthesoil Optimizemanagementofwaterresources:

enhancesoilandgroundwaterrechargebymaintaininggoodsoilstructureandlimitingthewaterconsumptionoftheecosystemthroughchoiceofspeciesandforestrypractices;re-wetfloodplainforests;deactivatedrainagesystems;improveretentionofwinterprecipitationinforeststorelievedroughtstressduringdrysummers.Monitordensityofgame

populationsandeliminatepressurefromgame

Encouragecomplexforeststructuresandincreasetheforestareathroughecologicallyadvantageousafforestationofagriculturalland

2.Improvetheresilienceoftheforestecosystem

Relationwithsustainability:Byavoidingmonoculturesystemswithlowbiodiversity,forestscanbecomemoreresilienttoclimateandclimate-induceddisturbancessuchaswildfire,beingthuspossibletoenhanceecosystemservicesandeconomicgrowth.

Adaptationstrategies:Resilience


3.Improveprotectionagainstpestsanddiseases

Adaptationtoinvasivespecies:Recognitionofpotentialinvadersandtheirmajorpathwayshelpstopreventorreduceintroductions,sincenotalloftheimportedexoticinsectsareinvasive,nordotheymanagetoestablishthemselvesinnovelenvironments.Theriskofestablishmentismostseverewherethemainhostspeciesforthepotentialinvaderoccursnaturallyoriswidelycultivated.

Preventpestsanddiseases:Throughstricterquarantineandsanitarymanagement,theimpactofinsectsanddiseasescanbeminimized.Thenorthboundspreadofpestsanddiseasesfromsouthernregionscanbeslowedbyrestrictingimportoffreshtimberfromareaswithpests.

Theolderthestand,thehighertheriskisoffungal,insect,orwinddamage.Accordingly,theadaptabilityofthecommercialforestasasetofstandscanbeincreasedbyavoidingtheover-maturingofstands.

Adaptationstrategies:Pestsanddiseases


Relationwithsustainability:Aconversiontomixedforests,whichusuallyexhibitamoisterforestinternalclimate,decreasestheriskofforestfires.Ashiftfrommatureneedle-leavedtomaturebroad-leavedforestcanreducethefireriskbetweenthreetofivetimesformanyborealforestregions.

Alowerriskofwildfiresinborealbiomesthroughincreasedbroad-leavedtreecompositionisameanstoreducegreenhousegasemissions.

Becauseofthehigheryear-roundalbedosofdeciduousbroad-leavedforestscomparedtoevergreenneedle-leavedforests,theearthwouldabsorblesssolarenergy,thushavingacoolingeffectthroughouttheborealzone.

Winddamage:Reductionsinrotationlengthdecreasethetimethetimbercropisatrisk,limitthetopheightreached,reducingwindthrowrisk.

4.Improveprotectionagainstweatherextremes

Wildfires:Developmentoffirepreventionbarriers,buildingroads,undertakingpreventivefires,creationoffirecontrolsystem,introductionoftechnicaldevicesforfiredetection,abetterintegrationofplanninglevels(forestowners,communities,regionalauthorities,forestrydepartments,firebrigades,roadconstructions).

Adaptationstrategies:Weatherextremes

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europe’s forests and forestry in a changing climate part 1: … · 2019. 6. 14. · redwood, oak,...

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