Causes, consequences, and the future of forest mortality due to climate change

Abstract

Mortality of forest trees is growing at an accelerating rate due in part to increasing severity and frequency of droughts. The consequences of increasing forest mortality range from impacts on timber and tourism revenue, reductions in fuelwood availability and carbon storage, and feedbacks that accelerate climate changes. Unfortunately, our understanding of where, when, and how forests die is extremely limited, precluding us from forecasting future changes in forest composition and services. Here we review the state of current knowledge regarding mortality processes, and highlight the urgent scientific challenges that must be overcome if we are to adequately plan for future changes in forest survival and mortality. We suggest that forest monitoring through inventory networks and newly emerging remote sensing techniques should be a high priority for maintenance and development, because only through these observations can we determine what regions and species are most vulnerable to climate change. These datasets are also critical for evaluation of regional to global models of forest dynamics. Without accurate models, forecasts of future forest composition cannot be considered reliable. Furthermore, experimental tests of how the dominant global forest species die are needed to enable models to simulate mortality correctly. Lastly, experimental tests of forest management strategies that can alleviate stress under the novel climate regimes the globe is now experiencing are essential to allow planning for mitigation options in the forestry sector. Increasing forest mortality is now inevitable given the global energy portfolio; however, the ability of science and forestry to quantify, understand, predict, and mitigate impacts on forests remains a viable option to allow planning for future forest management to minimize impacts on the Earth's forests.Key words: carbon sink, tree mortality, forest management, adaptation and mitigation IZVLEČEKMortaliteta dreves v različnih delih sveta se v zadnjem času hitro povečuje predvsem zaradi povečevanja števila in trajanja suš. Posledice povečane mortalitete dreves so večplastne in se kažejo tako pri lesnoproizvodni funkciji kakor tudi pri različnih drugih funkcijah gozdov (od rekreacijske do hidrološke). Nenazadnje ima povečana mortaliteta dreves tudi ključen vpliv na ponor ogljika v gozdnem ekosistemu -ponor se spremeni v vir, to pa lahko ključno vpliva na povečevanje CO 2 v atmosferi in na segrevanje ozračja. V prispevku smo pripravili pregled stanja na področju raziskav procesov propadanja dreves, hkrati pa izpostavljamo pomen raziskav s tega področja, če se želimo v prihodnje ustrezno odzvati in ublažiti posledice klimatskih sprememb na gozdne ekosisteme in znižati mortaliteto dreves (kot posledico klimatskih sprememb). Uvajanje metod daljinskega zaznavanja, podatke nacionalnih inventur in intenzivnega monitoringa gozdnih ekosistemov izpostavljamo kot ključne elemente, ki nam omogočajo spremljanje, prepoznavanje in vrednotenje procesov v gozdnih ekosistemih. Omogočajo...

The importance of storage and redistribution in vascular plants

“…Social, economic and environmental outcomes rely heavily on the health of the global forest ( Wardle et al 2003, Easterling and Apps 2005, Hanewinkel et al 2013, Katila et al 2014. Evidence suggests that in the coming decades, the world's forest ecosystems will face unprecedented challenges through the rate of environmental change ( McDowell and Levanic 2014, Frank et al 2015, Gauthier et al 2015, Lewis et al 2015, McDowell and Allen 2015, Millar and Stephenson 2015, Teskey et al 2015. Never before has such emphasis been placed on our need to understand the resilience of the global forest system.…”