Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe ... - MemoFin.fr

Climate impacts on socio-economic systems and health4.2 Forests and forestry4.2.1 OverviewRelevanceForests are defined as ecosystems dominated bytrees and other woody vegetation. They cover morethan 40 % of all land area in Europe and are as suchone of the main terrestrial ecosystems. Forestrydescribes the management of forest land includingcultivation, maintenance and development offorests.Forests provide a wide range of benefits andservices to their owners, managers and beneficiaries(Forest Europe, UNECE and FAO, 2011). Forestsin Europe provide societies with products such astimber, wood fibre and energy, with recreationalopportunities as well as multiple ecosystemservices, including biodiversity, clean waterand air (Bredemeier, 2011). Forests are the mostspecies-rich terrestrial ecosystem and they are amain element of European nature. Because of theirstructural complexity, they provide ideal habitatsfor a high number of plants, birds and animals. Inmountain areas, forests protect settlements andinfrastructure from, for example, landslides andavalanches. Forests regulate water flows and reducefloods, and protect from wind, sand drift and noise.Forests offer good protection from soil erosionand degradation, which is important especially inmountainous, hilly and semi-arid areas. Forests playan important role for climate regulation and for theglobal C cycle as they store a considerable amountof terrestrial carbon. Forests and forestry play a keyrole in the long-term mitigation of and adaptationto climate change. Both forest management andland use are central elements in the existing climateregime and in negotiations of future climate policies.Furthermore, forest-related jobs and revenuescontribute to national economies, which may bethreatened by climate change (Hanewinkel et al.,2012).Climate and weather have a strong influence onthe processes that control forest structure andfunction, and thus on forest health. Climate changeis projected to impact on forests by increasingthreats such as pest outbreaks, fires and drought.Increased temperatures, changes in precipitationamounts and patterns, and changed compositionof the atmosphere are all expected to have impactson forests. Total seasonal precipitation as well as itspattern of variability are both of major importancefor forestry systems (Olesen and Bindi, 2002;Lindner et al., 2010). Extreme events includingdroughts, flooding, storms and heat waves areexpected to become more frequent in parts ofEurope (see Sections 2.2 and 3.4).Various extreme climatic events like the 2003drought in large parts of Europe and severewindstorms already had strong negative impacts onforests (Ciais et al., 2005; Usbeck et al., 2010). Storms,droughts and heat waves can lead to higher rates oftree mortality, and make forests more susceptibleto secondary damages, such as insect and fungalinfestations. Forests are strongly affected by a rangeof insects and invasive species. Insect and pathogenoutbreaks are generally facilitated by a warmingclimate. As forest ecosystems change and movein response to climate changes, they are expectedto become more vulnerable to disturbances. Sincethe latitudinal (and altitudinal) distribution offorest species is strongly determined by climaticconditions, a changing climate will have an impacton which tree species can survive, and where.Key messages: 4.2 Forests and forestry• Forests provide multiple goods and services, including wood supply, carbon accumulation, ecosystemsservices, water purification, protection against natural hazards and recreational services.• Forests in Europe have been accumulating carbon (C) at a rate of more than 100 million tonnes (Mt C)per year from 1990 to 2010.• Climate change is expected to have major impacts on forest ecosystems. Rising atmospheric CO 2concentration, higher temperatures and changes in precipitation are likely to have significant effects onthe vegetation period, growth, health and distribution of trees as well as on forest ecosystems, and thuson the goods and services provided by forests.• Climate change may also enhance the frequency of favourable conditions for forest fires extending thefire season in both time and space.• An increase in storms, droughts and heat waves can lead to higher rates of tree mortality, and makeforests more susceptible to secondary damages, such as insect and fungal infestations.172 Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2012