Reviewing the Science and Implementation of Climate Change Adaptation Measures in European Forestry

Forests

Marja Kolström³  Marcus Lindner³  Terhi Vilén³  Michael Maroschek⁵  Rupert Seidl⁵  Manfred J. Lexer⁵  Sigrid Netherer²  Antoine Kremer⁴  Sylvain Delzon⁴  Anna Barbati¹  Marco Marchetti⁶ 

[1] Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis, Viterbo 01100, Italy; E-Mails:;Institute of Forest Entomology, Forest Pathology and Forest Protection, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Hasenauerstraße 38, Vienna A-1190, Austria; E-Mail:;European Forest Institute (EFI), Torikatu 34, Joensuu 80100, Finland; E-Mails:;INRA, University of Bordeaux, UMR BIOGECO, 69 Route d'Arcachon, CESTAS Cedex 33612, France; E-Mails:;Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Institute of Silviculture, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Peter Jordan Straße 82, Vienna A-1190, Austria; E-Mails:;Italian Academy of Forest Sciences, Piazza Edison 11, Florence 50133, Italy; E-Mail:

关键词: forestry;    Europe;    climate change;    adaptation strategies;    forest management;   

DOI  :  10.3390/f2040961

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Developing adaptation measures in forestry is an urgent task because the forests regenerated today will have to cope with climate conditions that may drastically change during the life of the trees in the stand. This paper presents a comprehensive review of potential adaptation options in forestry in Europe based on three pillars: a review of the scientific literature, an analysis of current national response strategies, and an expert assessment based on a database compiled in the COST Action ECHOES (Expected Climate Change and Options for European Silviculture). The adaptation measures include responses to both risks and opportunities created by climate change and address all stages of forestry operations. Measures targeted to reduce vulnerability to climate change may either aim to reduce forest sensitivity to adverse climate change impacts or increase adaptive capacity to cope with the changing environmental conditions. Adaptation measures mitigating drought and fire risk such as selection of more drought resistant species and genotypes are crucial. For adaptation to be successful it is of the utmost importance to disseminate the knowledge of suitable adaptation measures to all decision makers from the practice to the policy level. The analysis of the ECHOES database demonstrates that this challenge is well recognized in many European countries. Uncertainty about the full extent of climate change impacts and the suitability of adaptation measures creates a need for monitoring and further research. A better understanding of how to increase adaptive capacity is also needed, as well as regional vulnerability assessments which are crucial for targeting planned adaptation measures.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2011 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.