Climate change induces multiple risks to boreal forests and forestry in Finland: A literature review

Venäläinen, Ari; Lehtonen, Ilari; Laapas, Mikko; Ruosteenoja, Kimmo; Tikkanen, Olli‐Pekka; Viiri, Heli; Ikonen, Veli‐Pekka; Peltola, Heli

doi:10.1111/gcb.15183

Cited by 187 publications

(116 citation statements)

References 105 publications

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“…The area of dead-wood increased sharply to 21.4 thousand hectares in 2010 due to abnormally dry and hot summers and persistent ground fires (20 times compared to 2009). The bark beetle outbreaks in spruce forests became especially typical in recent years [67][68][69] (Figure 2). The territories after cuttings were grown with plantations.…”

Section: The Main Trends Of Forest Management and History Of Coniferous Forests Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal Modeling of Coniferous Forests Dynamics along the Southern Edge of Their Range in the Central Russian Plain

et al. 2021

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Forests with predominance of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) within the hemiboreal zone are considered as secondary communities formed under long-term human activity (logging, plowing, fires and silviculture). This study raises the question—how stable is current state of coniferous forests on the southern border of their natural distribution in the center of Eastern Europe using the example of the Moscow region (MR)? The object of the study are spruce and pine forests in different periods of Soviet and post-Soviet history within the Moscow Region (MR). The current proportion of spruce forests is 21.7%, and the proportion of pine forests is 18.5% from total forest area according to our estimates. The direction and rate of forest succession were analyzed based on current composition of populations of the main forest-forming species (spruce, pine, birch, aspen, oak, linden, and ash) based on ground-based research materials collected in 2006–2019. This allowed to develop the dynamic model (DM) of forest communities with the participation of Norway spruce and Scots pine for several decades. Assessment of the spatial distribution of coniferous communities is based on field data and spatial modeling using remote sensing data—Landsat 8 mosaic for 2020. In parallel, a retrospective model (RM) of the spatial-temporal organization of spruce and pine forests for a 30-year period was developed using two Landsat 5 mosaics. For this, nine different algorithms were tested and the best one for this task was found—random forest. Geobotanical relevés were used as a training sample combined with the 2006–2012 mosaic; the obtained spectral signatures were used for modeling based on the 1984–1990 mosaic. Thus, two multi-temporal spatial models of coniferous formations have been developed. Detailed analysis of the structure of spruce and pine forests based on field data made it possible to track trends of successional dynamics for the first time, considering the origin of communities and the ecological conditions of habitats. As a result, ideas about the viability of spruce and pine cenopopulations in different types of communities were formulated, which made possible to develop a dynamic model (DM) of changes in forest communities for future. Comparison of the areas and nature of changes in the spatial structure of coniferous formations made possible to develop the RM. Comparison of two different-time models of succession dynamics (DM and RM) makes possible to correct the main trends in the transformation of coniferous forests of natural and artificial origin under the existing regime of forestry. A set of features was identified that indicates risk factors for coniferous forests in the region. A further decrease of the spruce and pine plantations and increase of the spruce-small-leaved and deciduous formations are expected in the study area. The proportion of pine-spruce forests does not exceed 3% of the area and can be considered as the most vulnerable type of forest.

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Section: The Main Trends Of Forest Management and History Of Coniferous Forests Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal Modeling of Coniferous Forests Dynamics along the Southern Edge of Their Range in the Central Russian Plain

et al. 2021

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“…Ilmastomme on jo lämmennyt pari astetta 1800-luvun jälkeen, ja kuluvan vuosisadan aikana keskilämpötila voi nousta jopa useita asteita lisää. Lämpeneminen kiihdyttää metsien kasvua, mutta myös monet metsiin kohdistuvat riskit uhkaavat kasvaa (Venäläinen et al, 2020). Esimerkiksi tuhohyönteiset pääsääntöisesti hyötyvät lämpimämmästä ilmastosta.…”

Section: Johdantounclassified

Ilmastonmuutoksen vaikutukset Suomessa metsänhoidon näkökulmasta

Lehtonen¹,

Venäläinen²,

Gregow³

2020

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Growing forests sequester carbon from the atmosphere, and hence forests have an important role in mitigating climate change. Forests are also important as recreational areas, and natural forests are needed in maintaining biodiversity. On the other hand, the economic importance of forests is substantial in Finland as the forest industry is a major contributor to wellbeing in the country. Ongoing climate change and the multiple contradictory interests towards forests expressed from different sectors in society make it important to study how forests can be exploited in a sustainable way. Information on the magnitude and impacts of climate change are needed in revising the forest management recommendations. In this report, we present an assessment of climate change in Finland based on current knowledge and describe the expected effects of the change on forests and forestry. Over the last 150 years, the mean temperature in Finland has already risen by about 2 °C. Presently, the temperature continues to increase with a rate of almost 0.5 °C per decade, and by the mid-century, temperatures in Finland are expected to be approximately 1-1.5 °C higher than at present. The rate of warming during the latter half of the 21st century will largely depend on the future evolution of global greenhouse gas emissions. In Finland, the rate of warming is about twice as large as the global average. In addition to warming, precipitation levels, particularly in winter, are expected to increase in the future. On the other hand, drought may occur in summer more frequently than at present. Increasing temperature and rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration have already contributed to accelerating forest growth. In the future, our forests are projected to grow even more rapidly. On the other hand, an increasing frequency of forest damages may partly overrule this development. Particularly, spruce forests are vulnerable to many insect pests but in southern Finland also to drought. An example of a pest benefitting from the warming is the European spruce bark beetle. In winter, reduction of soil frost complicates the logistics of forest harvesting and increases the risk of root damage during the harvest. The risk of wind damage also increases as the soil frost decreases. Internationally, the goal is to limit global warming to less than 2 °C compared to pre-industrial era, i.e., the mid-18th century. This would require rapid global mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. So far, limiting the increase in global greenhouse gas emissions has not been adequately successful so that reaching the target would seem likely. Thus, there is a need to be prepared for a more severe warming. In the worst case, the temperature could rise even by more than 4 °C globally by the end of the 21st century. From the forest owner viewpoint, it is important to take care of the growth and vitality of the forest stands and to identify the risks threatening the stands, taking into account the variability of the stands and the terrain. To support risk management, th...

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“…Among the climate extremes, extreme snowfall events are likely to have substantial effects on forest ecosystems (Ashley et al 2020;Zhao et al 2016). Previous relevant studies mainly focused on boreal and temperate forests because such forests frequently experience heavy snow loads in the winter (Ashley et al 2020;Venalainen et al 2020). Heavy snowfall, for example, frequently causes substantial damage (including the breaking of stems and uprooting of trees) in Finnish forests (Lehtonen et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant–rodent interactions after a heavy snowfall decrease plant regeneration and soil carbon emission in an old-growth forest

Zhou

Xia

et al. 2021

For. Ecosyst.

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Background Climate extremes are likely to become more common in the future and are expected to change ecosystem processes and functions. As important consumers of seeds in forests, rodents are likely to affect forest regeneration following an extreme weather event. In April 2015, we began a field experiment after an extreme snowfall event in January 2015 in a primary forest that was > 300 years old. The heavy snow broke many tree limbs, which presumably reduced the numbers of seeds produced. Two treatments (rodent exclusion and rodent access) were established in the forest, in which rodent exclusion were achieved by placing stainlessness nets around the plot borders. Plant abundance, plant species richness, soil properties, soil microbial community composition, basal and substrate-induced respiration were determined in December 2017. Results Plant abundance and species richness significantly increased, but soil microbial biomass decreased with rodent exclusion. Urease activity and soil basal respiration also significantly decreased with rodent exclusion. Most other soil properties, however, were unaffected by rodent exclusion. The relative effects of multiple predictors of basal respiration were mainly explained by the composition of the soil microbial community. Conclusions After a heavy snowfall in an old-growth forest, exclusion of rodents increased plant regeneration and reduced microbial biomass and soil basal respiration. The main factor associated with the reduction in soil basal respiration was the change in the composition of the soil microbial community. These findings suggest that after a heavy snowfall, rodents may interfere with forest regeneration by directly reducing plant diversity and abundance but may enhance carbon retention by indirectly altering the soil microbial community.

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Climate change induces multiple risks to boreal forests and forestry in Finland: A literature review

Cited by 187 publications

References 105 publications

Spatiotemporal Modeling of Coniferous Forests Dynamics along the Southern Edge of Their Range in the Central Russian Plain

Spatiotemporal Modeling of Coniferous Forests Dynamics along the Southern Edge of Their Range in the Central Russian Plain

Ilmastonmuutoksen vaikutukset Suomessa metsänhoidon näkökulmasta

Plant–rodent interactions after a heavy snowfall decrease plant regeneration and soil carbon emission in an old-growth forest

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