Transcript FSC - a Powerful Tool for the Promotion of Close-to

Managing Forests for
Adaptation to Climate Change
Zoltán Rakonczay
WWF – European Forest Programme
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood
24-27 March, 2003, Braşov, Romania
Outline

Climate Change and Impacts on Forests

Natural Adaptation Mechanisms

Adaptation Measures

Implications for the Use of Wood
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Climate Change is Happening
„An increasing body of observations gives a collective
picture of a warming world and other changes in the
climate system” (IPCC TAR)
It
is “very likely” to be happening
Caused
by anthropogenic sources of GHGs
Burning
Main
of fossil fuels is the main culprit (CO2)
issues: adaptation and mitigation
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Changes in the Environment

Temperatures are likely to increase
– (0.1-0.4°C/decade)

Precipitation
– increase in the north, decrease in the south
– changed seasonal pattern

Extreme weather events more frequent
– storms, floods, droughts

Increased CO2 concentration
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Likely Impacts on Forests

Shifting range boundaries
– towards the north
– towards higher elevations

Changes in phenology
– lengthening of the growing season
– higher evapotranspiration
– functional groups may disintegrate due to
differing responses to environmental change
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Likely Impacts on Forests (2)

Changes in the carbon balance (???)
– higher growth (initially?)
– higher decomposition/respiration (!)

Increased incidents of abiotic damage
– windthrow, fire, snow/ice

Increased incidents of biotic damage
– new pests moving in
– increased susceptibility due to stress
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Adaptation Mechanisms

Physiological acclimation
– trees can tolerate changes within the historic
range of environmental variability
– exceeding this range can be catastrophic
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Adaptation Mechanisms

Physiological acclimation
– trees can tolerate changes within the historic
range of environmental variability
– exceeding this range can be catastrophic

In-situ evolution
–
–
–
–
typically a slow process, many life cycles
adequate genetic diversity is a prerequisite
losses of diversity (on the short run)
speciation (on the long run)
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Adaptation Mechanisms (2)

Migration
– the most effective adaptation strategy by far
– requires freedom of movement along
environmental gradients
– rate of change is a crucial factor
– functional groups have to migrate together
(keystone species)

Refugia
– areas where the special microclimate allowed
the survival of species
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
What is Special About
Current Climate Change?


The rate of change seems to be
extraordinarily fast
The landscape is no longer pristine
–
–
–
–

fragmentation
altered ecosystems
degraded/stressed ecosystems
invasive/introduced species
Ecosystems serve basic human needs
– we cannot afford losing crucial functions
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Implications for the Use of
Forest (use of wood - broad sense)

Biomass use for energy
– fossil fuel substitution

Carbon sequestration
– lack of use of wood

For global
climate
benefits
Adaptation measures
– protection/management of forest for
biodiversity benefits
– to secure services for the long run
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Adaptation Measures

Nature reserves
– sufficient size
– full range of forest types

Connectivity
– avoid fragmentation
– restore connectivity (corridors)

Protect climatic refugia / migration
corridors
– different scales (microhabitats to ecoregions)
– historic migration corridors are often degraded
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Adaptation Measures (2)



Protect primary forests
Provide buffer zones to protected areas
Practice low-intensity forestry
– small canopy openings to protect microclimate
– reasonably complete set of species



Maintain genetic diversity at all levels
Identify and protect functional groups
Monitor changes (adapt mgmt. if needed)
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Implications for the Use of
Wood (strict sense)
Forest utilisation should give priority to
adaptation measures:
Use efficiently what forests do provide,
instead of trying to grow what you think the
market will demand in the distant future.
– technological advances (targeted research)
– consumption habits of end users (marketing)
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Conclusions

Climate change is happening

Forests are likely to suffer major impacts

Adaptation should be facilitated
– recommended measures differ little from sound
management under static climate
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Conclusions (2)

Adaptation measures should be given
priority (precautionary principle)

Efficient use of available wood should be
promoted
– novel technologies
– awareness raising / marketing
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003
Zoltán Rakonczay
WWF Forest - Climate Change Officer
[email protected]
tel: +36 1 214 5554
Strategies for the Sound Use of Wood, Braşov, Romania
24-27 March, 2003