Climate Change and other a(biotic) disturbances

Climate Change is posing a great challenge to forests and forestry in the 21 st century. Observations prove the existence of a global warming trend: global average temperature has increased by 0.8°C since 1900 and the 12 hottest years observed globally since 1880 all occurred after 1990. The recent European heat wave of 2003 was a drastic demonstration of the extent of impacts we need to expect more often in the future. Forests are particularly sensitive to climate change, because the long life-span of trees does not allow for rapid adaptation to environmental changes. Unlike in agriculture, adaptation measures for forestry need to be planned well in advance of expected changes in growing conditions because the forests regenerated today will have to cope with the future climate conditions for at least several decades, often even more than 100 years.

Forest ecosystems play an important role in the global biogeochemical cycles. Forests act both as sources and sinks of greenhouse gases (GHGs), through which they exert significant influence on the earth’s climate. When forests grow, they capture CO 2 from the atmosphere. Increasing growth rates in European forests have led to a significant carbon sink over several decades. When wood products are used instead of non-renewable materials such as steel or plastics, the carbon is sequestered longer before it is released back to the atmosphere. Forest management and use of forest products can thus contribute to the mitigation of climate change. But under the existing global climate policy frame this alone will not be enough to halt climate change.

Research on the possible impacts of climate change on forests in Europe and the development of adaptation and mitigation strategies started in the early 1990s. Since then, assessments of climate change, its impacts and subsequent consequences to natural resource management have been the focus of continuous research efforts. It was also recognised that protective functions of forests will be affected by climate change as well.

Climate change will also alter the risk of biotic and abiotic disturbances in forests. Drought and flooding represent two contrasting direct impacts on forests which are direct consequences of changing climate and weather patterns. High temperatures and drought increase forest fire risk, leading to drastic damages in Mediterranean forests. There are indications of increased frequency and intensity of storm damages.

Finally there are also indications of indirect impacts of climate change on pests and diseases, because climate variables are important drivers for the distribution of pest agents and insects, for example, are often more productive under warmer climatic conditions.

EFI Activities on Climate Change and other (a)biotic disturbances

EFI has been involved in several projects and publications dealing with climate change and other (a)biotic disturbances. These include for example:

CarboEurope-IP – Assessment of the European Terrestrial Carbon Balance

CarboEurope – GHG – Synthesis of the European Greenhouse Gas Budget

SilviStrat – Response Strategies to Climatic Change In Management Of European Forests

EFI Technical Report 25 : Review of CO 2 emissions mitigation through prescribed burning by Caroline Narayan

A recent study on 'Soil carbon modelling as a tool for carbon balance studies in forestry'. Dissertationes Forestales 61.

EFI also maintains a database on forest disturbances.

The EFI Project Centre Phoenix addresses forest fires and their prevention by post-fire management.