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Vulnerability of Forests to Climate Variability and Change

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A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2022) | Viewed by 13781

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Craig Nitschke

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Guest Editor

School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, 500 Yarra Blvd, Richmond, VIC, Australia
Interests: forests; landscapes; ecosystem services; disturbances; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forests play a critical role in providing ecosystem services that people’s livelihoods depend on, and are crucial for the conservation of biodiversity. Climate variability and change are key factors that influence the composition and structure of forests either directly or indirectly through disturbance agents. Climate-driven changes in forest composition and structure can have significant impacts on ecosystem functioning, which in turn can impact the provision of ecosystem services and forest biodiversity. Adaptation to the changing climate has long been argued to reduce the speed and magnitude of these changes on forests and forest-dependent livelihoods. A crucial step in determining adaptation strategies and practicing climate-smart management is understanding the vulnerability of forest ecosystems to climate variability and change. We are seeking studies that explore the vulnerability of forests to the direct and indirect effects of climate variability and change (including extreme events). Contributions to this Special Issue can be from empirical, experimental, or model-based studies. The objective is to identify where and how forests are vulnerable, and the consequences this will have on forest functioning under a changing climate.

Dr. Craig Nitschke
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

climate change
climate variability
extreme climatic events
disturbances
forest dynamics
landscape dynamics
regeneration
ecosystem services
biodiversity

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 2355 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Drought Sensitivity and Resilience of Oak–Hickory Stands in the Eastern United States

by Tsun Fung Au and Justin T. Maxwell

Forests 2022, 13(3), 389; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f13030389 - 27 Feb 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2092

Abstract

Forest composition in the eastern United States (US) has been shifting from an oak–hickory to maple–beech assemblage, but whether there are species-specific differences within these oak–hickory stands in their responses and recovery from drought remains unclear. Here, we examined drought responses and resilience derived from radial growth of 485 co-occurring Carya ovata and Quercus alba individual trees at 15 forests in the eastern US. Water availability over the growing season (May to August) of the current year controls growth variability of both C. ovata and Q. alba. Drought that occurred in June caused the greatest growth reduction for both species while interspecific differences inof drought-induced growth reduction was found in July, where Q. alba experienced stronger reduction than C. ovata. Both species are resilient to early growing season drought, but late growing season drought caused larger drought legacy effects for Q. alba. The increasing drought frequency and intensity will have a more prominent impact in oak–hickory stands in the eastern US. The species composition of a forest along with species-specific responses and recovery is likely to be a critical control on forest productivity and species abundance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vulnerability of Forests to Climate Variability and Change)

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13 pages, 2525 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Distinct Climate Effects on Dahurian Larch Growth at an Asian Temperate-Boreal Forest Ecotone and Nearby Boreal Sites

by Enzai Du and Yang Tang

Forests 2022, 13(1), 27; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f13010027 - 26 Dec 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2376

Abstract

Climate change is exerting profound impacts on the structure and function of global boreal forest. Compared with their northern counterparts, trees growing at the southern boreal forest and the temperate-boreal forest ecotone likely show distinct responses to climate change. Based on annual basal areal increment (BAI) of Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii Rupr.) plantations with similar ages, tree densities and soil nutrient conditions, we investigated the tree growth responses to inter-annual climate variations at an Asian temperate-boreal forest ecotone and nearby boreal sites in northeast China. Annual BAI changed nonlinearly with cambial age in the form of a lognormal curve. The maximum annual BAI showed no significant difference between the two bioregions, while annual BAI peaked at an elder age at the boreal-temperate forest ecotone. After eliminating the age associated trend, conditional regression analyses indicate that residual BAI at the boreal sites increased significantly with higher growing-season mean nighttime minimum temperature and non-growing-season precipitation, but decreased significantly with higher growing-season mean daytime maximum temperature during the past three decades (1985–2015). In contrast, residual BAI at the boreal-temperate forest ecotone only showed a positive and weak response to inter-annual variations of growing-season precipitation. These findings suggest distinct effects of inter-annual climate variation on the growth of boreal trees at the temperate-boreal forest ecotone in comparison to the southern boreal regions, and highlight future efforts to elucidate the key factors that regulate the growth ofthe southernmost boreal trees. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vulnerability of Forests to Climate Variability and Change)

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14 pages, 3333 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Direct Phenological Responses but Later Growth Stimulation upon Spring and Summer/Autumn Warming of Prunus spinosa L. in a Common Garden Environment

by Kristine Vander Mijnsbrugge, Jessa May Malanguis, Stefaan Moreels, Arion Turcsán, Nele Van der Schueren and Eduardo Notivol Paino

Forests 2022, 13(1), 23; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f13010023 - 24 Dec 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2191

Abstract

Future predictions of forest ecosystem responses are a challenge, as global temperatures will further rise in the coming decades at an unprecedented rate. The effect of elevated temperature on growth performance and phenology of three Prunus spinosa L. provenances (originating from Belgium, Spain, and Sweden) in a common garden environment was investigated. One-year-old seedlings were grown in greenhouse conditions and exposed to ambient and elevated temperatures in the spring (on average 5.6 °C difference) and in the late summer/autumn of 2018 (on average 1.9 °C difference), while they were kept hydrated, in a factorial design. In the following years, all plants experienced the same growing conditions. Bud burst, leaf senescence, height, and diameter growth were recorded. Height and radial growth were not affected in the year of the treatments (2018) but were enhanced the year after (2019), whereas phenological responses depended on the temperature treatments in the year of the treatments (2018) with little carry-over effects in the succeeding years. Spring warming enhanced more height growth in the succeeding year, whereas summer/autumn warming stimulated more radial growth. Spring warming advanced bud burst and shortened the leaf opening process whereas summer/autumn warming delayed leaf senescence and enlarged the duration of this phenophase. These results can help predict the putative shifts in species composition of future forests and woody landscape elements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vulnerability of Forests to Climate Variability and Change)

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21 pages, 4081 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Growth Recovery and Phenological Responses of Juvenile Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) Exposed to Spring Warming and Late Spring Frost

by Kristine Vander Mijnsbrugge, Jessa May Malanguis, Stefaan Moreels, Amy Lauwers, Arno Thomaes, Luc De Keersmaeker and Kris Vandekerkhove

Forests 2021, 12(11), 1604; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f12111604 - 20 Nov 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1886

Abstract

Global change increases the risk of extreme climatic events. The impact of extreme temperature may depend on the tree species and also on the provenance. Ten provenances of Fagus sylvatica L. were grown in a common garden environment in Belgium and subjected to different temperature treatments. Half of the one year old seedlings were submitted to a high thermal stress in the spring of the first year, and all plants were exposed to a late spring frost in the second year. The high-temperature treated plants displayed reduced growth in the first year, which was fully compensated (recovery with exact compensation) in the second year for radial growth and in the third year for height growth. Frost in the spring of the second year damaged part of the saplings and reduced their growth. The frost damaged plants regained the pre-stress growth rate one year later (recovery without compensation). The high temperature treatment in the first year and the frost damage in the second year clearly influenced the phenological responses in the year of the event and in the succeeding year. Little population differentiation was observed among the provenances for growth and for phenological responses. Yet, a southern provenance, a non-autochthonous provenance (original German provenance that was planted in Belgium about a century ago) and a more continental provenance flushed earlier than the local Atlantic provenances in the year of the frost event, resulting in more frost damage. Some caution should therefore be taken when translocating provenances as an anticipation of the predicted climate warming. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vulnerability of Forests to Climate Variability and Change)

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18 pages, 5593 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Climate Signals for Growth Variations of F. sylvatica, P. abies, and P. sylvestris in Southeast Germany over the Past 50 Years

by Annette Debel, Wolfgang Jens-Henrik Meier and Achim Bräuning

Forests 2021, 12(11), 1433; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f12111433 - 21 Oct 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2545

Abstract

Since recent drought events have already caused severe damage to trees and droughts in the near future are expected to occur even more frequently, this study investigated the response of forest ecosystems to changing climate conditions in the topographically complex region of Bavaria, southeast Germany. For this purpose, climate–growth relationships of important European deciduous and coniferous tree species were investigated over the past 50 years at three middle mountain ranges and corresponding basins. A response analysis between tree-ring width and climate variables was applied to detect modifications in tree responses comparing two 25-year periods at individual forest sites. Furthermore, tree responses to climatic extreme years and seasons were analyzed using a superposed epoch analysis. The results showed that Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) proved to be the most vulnerable and least drought-resistant of all investigated tree species. Likewise, Norway spruce (Picea abies) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica) revealed a higher drought sensitivity over the past 25 years, even though an extended growing season partially improved tree growth at high-elevation sites. In conclusion, all studied tree species were affected by drought events, even at humid high-elevation sites. Correlations with daily climate variables confirmed that even short-term weather conditions could strongly influence trees’ radial growth. Tree responses to climate conditions have shifted significantly between past and present periods but vary considerably among sites and are generally stronger in humid regions than in already dry areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vulnerability of Forests to Climate Variability and Change)

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Review

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16 pages, 2093 KiB

Open AccessReview

Long-Term Effects of Climate and Litter Chemistry on Rates and Stable Fractions of Decomposing Scots Pine and Norway Spruce Needle Litter—A Synthesis

by Björn Berg and Mikael Lönn

Forests 2022, 13(1), 125; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f13010125 - 16 Jan 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1772

Abstract

We have reviewed information on early-, late- and limit-value decomposition stages for litter of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots pine (Pinus silvestris). This synthesis covers c 16 studies/papers made along a climatic gradient; range in mean annual temperature (MAT) from −1 to +7 °C and mean annual precipitation (MAP) from 425 to 1070 mm. Scots pine has an early stage dominated by carbohydrate decomposition and a late stage dominated by decomposition of lignin; Norway spruce has just one stage dominated by lignin decomposition. We used data for annual mass loss to identify rate-regulating factors in both stages; climate data, namely, MAT and MAP, as well as substrate properties, namely, nitrogen (N), acid unhydrolyzable residue (AUR), manganese (Mn). Early-stage decomposition for Scots pine litter was dominated positively by MAT; the late stage was dominated negatively by MAT, N, and AUR, changing with decomposition stage; there was no effect of Mn. Norway spruce litter had no early stage; decomposition in the lignin-dominated stage was mainly negative to MAP, a negative relationship to AUR and non-significant relationships to N and MAT. Mn had a positive relationship. Limit values for decomposition, namely, the accumulated mass loss at which decomposition is calculated to be zero, were related positively to Mn and AUR for Scots pine litter and negatively to AUR for Norway spruce litter. With different sets of rate-regulating factors as well as different compounds/elements related to the limit values, the decomposition patterns or pathways are different. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vulnerability of Forests to Climate Variability and Change)

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