Download Is Nordic forestry prepared for climate change?

Policy Brief
Policy considerations
NordGen Forest Working Group
It should be a clear responsibility of the Nordic forest sector to include measures
to prepare for climate change into its strategic documents. Given the expected
changes in temperature even within one rotation for many forest trees, it is
important that this is taken into account when forests are regenerated.
This document has been developed by the NordGen Forest Working Group
on Genetic Resources, together with the secretariat of NordGen Forest:
There is a need for unambiguous information about the effects of climate change.
There might be a problem with popularising research, which may result in only
a fraction of the whole picture being presented. Different scientific results may
appear more conflicting than they actually are. It is important that the forestry
sector has information channels that give a broad and balanced information
about climate change and put more emphasis on translating scientific findings into
management recommendations. Nordic organisations such as NordGen Forest, SNS
and EFINORD could cooperate to fill this role.
Mari Rusanen, Natural Resources Institute Finland
The key to a forest adapted to future climates is to regenerate with material that is
well suited for the next century. This means selecting the right species or selecting
carefully the genetic material within species. On-going research is focusing on
developing models for assisted migration (movement) of material to new areas
where it is better adapted.
On the other hand, movement of genetic material may change the genetic
composition of forests, which may have long-term effects on the genetic diversity
of forest tree species and knock-on effects on other species in forest ecosystems.
Hence, with the increased stress that may be imposed on forests as the climate
changes, it is important to keep focus on sustainability and the conservation of
forest ecosystems and genetic resources.
Raising awareness about climate change has been highlighted as one of the main
challenges for Nordic co-operation on forests. This need is further confirmed in the
findings of the NordGen Forest survey. It is important that information is transferred
to the forestry sector and that tools enabling science-based decisions are made
available. The Nordic forest institutions should continue their efforts to translate
research on climate change into applicable advice for future Nordic forestry.
Adalsteinn Sigurgeirsson, Icelandic Forest Research
Is Nordic forestry
prepared for
climate change?
Sara Abrahamsson, Forestry Research Institute of Sweden
Gunnar Friis Proschowsky, Danish Nature Agency
Kjersti Bakkebø Fjellstad, Norwegian Genetic Resource Centre & NordGen Forest
Tor Myking, NordGen Forest
Jørn Henrik Sønstebø, NordGen Forest
Climate change is recognised as one of the most important challenges for both society and many
ecosystems. Reducing deforestation and degradation of existing forests and enhancing forest
carbon stocks play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions (UNFCCC 2015).
Biomass from forests will be an increasingly important resource for the new green economy as an
alternative to the fossil-based products used today. However, increased use of forests as a source
of biomass is dependent on use of plant material and species adapted to a changing environment.
NordGen Forest
NordGen Forest is a forum under the Nordic Genetic Resource Center and the Nordic Council of
Ministers. The mandate of NordGen Forest is to address conservation and sustainable use of forest
genetic resources, by being a meeting place for researchers, practitioners and managers working
on forest genetics, seeds, planting stock and regeneration, and by facilitating the flow of scientific
information to these groups. In addition, we initiate research and development and discuss issues of
common Nordic interest.
Although forest ecosystems are generally robust, there is a concern that the pace of climate
change will exceed the adaptability of many forest trees.
Many trees have long generation times (80+ years) and are therefore vulnerable to rapid changes
in temperature. Decisions made today will have consequences for the whole rotation of the forest
stand. This makes proper planning particularly important for decision-makers in forestry. There is
currently much research into both the climatic adaptation of different forest trees and the need to
assist the movement of trees as the climate changes.
Awareness of climate change
We have asked the major actors in the forest sector in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden
about their awareness of climate change and the need for information about the effect of climate
change (see Box 1 for information about the survey). Here we will present some of the important
findings and give examples of current research that may answer some of the challenges we are
facing.
Dan Aamlid / NIBIO
Arne Steffenrem / NIBIO
Jørn Henrik Sønstebø / NIBIO
NordGen Forest
Box 1: NordGen Forest survey about climate change
A survey was sent to 153 representatives of important
institutions in the Nordic forest sector, of whom 40%
responded. The respondents covered the public and
private sector, forest owner organisations, nurseries and
seed production facilities (figure 1). Since the forestry
sector is organised differently in the different countries
and the response rate also varied among the different
countries, we focused on the overall trends in the material.
Figure 1
Distribution of the respondents from
the public sector (red), private sector
(yellow), forest owner organizations
(blue) and nurseries or seed
production facilities (brown).
Katri Himanen
The statements covered different topics from general
concerns about climate change and the influence of
climate change in organisational decisions to more
specific statements such as the effect of climate change
on forest disturbances and on the use of exotic tree
species (figure 2, questions 1-6). In addition we asked
about the need for further information and which
information channels the respondents preferred.
Lars Sandved Dalen / NIBIO
The survey asked respondents to consider statements
about the effect of climate change on forests, and was
designed to assess awareness of and attitudes towards
climate change.
Important findings from the survey
Figure 2 shows the proportion of responses to eight statements about climate change. Each statement has been
rated by the respondents from 1 (strongly disagree – dark brown) to 5 (fully agree – light brown). The bottom bar
in each set (lightest brown) represents the category “unknown/not relevant”.
1. Climate
is an concern
important
concern
1. Climate
changechange
is an important
for my
organization.
for my organization.
2. Climate change will affect the forestry in
2. Climate change will affect the forestry in my local region.
my local region.
Awareness of climate change
Information needs
The respondents mostly agreed that climate change would affect future forestry;
that it may lead to more disturbances and at the same time potentially increase
forest growth (figure 2). However, although most respondents agreed that climate
change will affect forestry, this has not influenced strategic documents and
guidelines to the same extent. It is also clear that measures to mitigate climate
change, e.g. forests as a carbon sink, are more frequently highlighted than
measures to adapt the forest to the new climate.
Scientific information about effects and adaptation of forestry towards climate
change is regarded as important. The need for more and better scientific
information was clearly underlined by many of the respondents in the survey.
Some of the respondents expressed confusion about the variable scientific results
and the lack of overarching views about how forestry should adapt. Mass media
and research institutions are the most frequently used sources of information about
climate change. These sources are rather different in character, and possibly mass
media contribute with general information whereas research institutions are used
when targeting more specific information.
Increased precipitation and more extreme weather events, leading to more
challenging conditions for forestry operations, were more clearly in focus than the
change in temperature itself.
3. Climate change will affect forest
3. Climate change will affect forest regeneration and/or plant production processes
regeneration and/or plant production
under our responsibility
processes under our responsibility
Use of exotic tree species
4. Climate change will alter the frequency
4. Climate change will alter the
frequency
andof
intensity
forest disturbances
such
and
intensity
forestofdisturbances
such
as as
insect outbreaks,
invasive
species, wildfires,
andspecies,
storms. wildfires,
insect
outbreaks,
invasive
and storms.
Increased use of exotic species and planting of a mixture of different species are
examples of measures that have been implemented to increase forest adaptation
to a new climate. This is also the topic on which there was the largest disagreement
in the survey (see figure 2, question 6). The difference in views may be partly
explained by the current differences in practice in the Nordic countries. Use of
exotic tree species is currently important only in parts of the Nordic region. For
example, Danish forestry is largely based on foreign tree species, whereas they
are hardly used in Finland. Another example is the importance of the non-native
Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) in parts of Sweden. In Norway, on the other hand,
the use of exotic trees has become more restricted, although e.g. Sitka spruce
(Picea sitchensis) was widely planted previously.
5. Increased temperature and CO2
5. Increased temperature and CO2 concentration will increase forest growth
concentration will increase forest growth
6. Climate change will necessitate more use
6. Climate change will necessitate more use of new/exotic tree species in forestry
of new/exotic tree species in forestry
7. Climate change adaptation has an
7. Climate change adaptation has an important role in strategic documents in my
important role in strategic documents
organization.
in my organization.
8. Climate change adaptation measures
8. Climate change adaptation measures are implemented in guidelines used in my
are implemented in guidelines used
organization.
in my organization.
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Application of mixed forests will probably increase resilience and make forests less
susceptible to pathogens. Since climate change is expected to change not just the
temperature, but also the precipitation and the occurrence of storms, the choice
of which species to plant may change at many sites. At the same time, potential
negative effects of exotics on native biodiversity must also be considered.
The importance of collating scientific information and writing systematic reviews
addressing questions relevant for the public was recently highlighted in a comment
in Nature by McKinnon et al (2015). Their main message was that many research
results are inaccessible to the public and known by very few people. They also
showed several examples of important results that have been overlooked for
decades, because of insufficient dissemination. Evidence maps, produced by
compiling information from many sources, were suggested as a method to bring
this information out into the open and make it more accessible to scientists and
managers.
The role of Nordic institutions
Particularly important for the Nordic forest institutions is the clearly expressed need
for translation of knowledge and the niche that NordGen Forest, SNS and EFINORD
could fill, by facilitating research and information exchange between researchers
and foresters. Network activities, like Nordic conferences, thematic days and
facilitation of research should be maintained and strengthened. In addition, there
is a wish for more information through e-mail newsletters and articles in forestry
journals. Given the information needs revealed by this survey, there is a potential
for the Nordic forest institutions to collaborate to increase their importance as
information providers for Nordic forestry.