RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Past and future of temperate forests state under climate change effects in the Romanian southern Carpathians
A1 Chivulescu, Serban
A1 García Duro, Juan
A1 Pitar, Diana
A1 Leca, Ștefan
A1 Badea, Ovidiu
K1 Temperate forests
K1 Climate change effects
K1 Southern Carpathian forest management
K1 Forest growth
K1 Forest biomass
K1 Virgin forests
K1 3106.08 Silvicultura
AB Research Highlights: Carpathian forests hold high ecological and economic value while generating conservation concerns, with some of these forests being among the few remaining temperate virgin forests in Europe. Carpathian forests partially lost their original integrity due to their management. Climate change has also gradually contributed to forest changes due to its modification of the environmental conditions. Background and Objectives: Understanding trees’ responses to past climates and forms of management is critical in foreseeing the responses of forests to future conditions. This study aims (1) to determine the sensitivity of Carpathian forests to past climates using dendrochronological records and (2) to describe the effects that climate change and management will have on the attributes of Carpathian forests, with a particular focus on the different response of pure and mixed forests. Materials and Methods: To this end, we first analysed the past climate-induced growth change in a dendrochronological reference series generated for virgin forests in the Romanian Curvature Carpathians and then used the obtained information to calibrate spatially explicit forest Landis-II models for the same region. The model was used to project forest change under four climate change scenarios, from mild to extreme. Results: The dendrochronological analysis revealed a climate-driven increase in forest growth over time. Landis-II model simulations also indicate that the amount of aboveground forest biomass will tend to increase with climate change. Conclusions: There are differences in the response of pure and mixed forests. Therefore, suitable forest management is required when forests change with the climate.
PB MDPI
SN 1999-4907
YR 2021
FD 2021
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/65803
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/65803
LA eng
NO Forests, 2021, vol. 12, n. 7, 885
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 01-sep-2024