The world meteorological organization (WMO), a specialized Agency of the United Nations, has warned of a re-heat of summer in the Northern hemisphere. At about the same time, the German weather service (DWD) has declared the the spring of 2020 to be one of the sunniest since records began in 1951 – it was an “extremely Sunny, quite warm and dry spring”, in particular, the April had given a clear run to hot and cause it to rain heavily to miss.
For the forests in Germany, which is suffering because of the climate crisis already and there is therefore no Relief in sight, on the contrary: A new study by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), which is in the journal “Science” published, paints a bleak picture for the future of the forest.
More than 200,000 hectares of forest died in 2018 and 2019
especially the two last heat of summer, the forests in the Mediterranean to provide Europe difficult. The local forests and forest soils are arid, the trees by the persistent heat and dryness of last years extremely weakened. “Forest fires, storms and outbreaks of bark beetles and nuns have whole forests from natural spruce and Pine monocultures collapse,” said alarmed the Federation for environment and nature conservation (BUND) during the last year.
To the right: in Germany Alone, more than 200,000 hectares of forest have died if the heat of the summer of 2018 and 2019 – equivalent to roughly the area of Saarland, with its approximately 250,000 hectares.
but at the same time, long-term observations show that the trees were growing because of the increasing CO2 content in the atmosphere and a shorter Winter, especially in Central Europe, is better known today than a few decades ago. And some of the satellite data and model calculations, report of a Greening of the planet (“global greening”) – what are the TUM researchers took the opportunity to predict how global change could make the forests in the future change. Each week provides you FOCUS Online with the most important news from the knowledge Department. Here you can subscribe to the Newsletter.
Smaller trees, more open stocks lower biomass
The study, by Rupert Seidl, a Professor of ecosystem dynamics and forest management at the TUM under one of eight key factors that affect the demography of the forests studied here. To Changes in temperature and CO2,humidity, drought, forest fire, wind throw, insects, and land use include:. Seidl, summarizes the results: “Our analyses show that we are witnessing a change from predominantly positive effects of global change to a period of the growing limitations of the trees”.
Specifically, this means: While the positive effects on the growth of trees in the future will be highly variable and locally, there is consistently bad news regarding the tree dying.
- read also:The great forest die: Where it is the worst of all and what we can do
Because of forest fires, insect damage, wind throw events, and droughts will increase in the coming years and even more fail than before. Especially the large trees are affected, “because they are, for example, exposed to the Wind stronger and it is harder for you to supply their leaves continuously with water from the soil,” explains Seidl.
conclusion: climate change is fueled further
As the forest of the future will look like? According to the study, we have to adjust to smaller trees, more open stocks, and lower biomass. And that could lead to further negative consequences. Because the biomass is low, to be stored lower amounts of carbon from the atmosphere in the forest. The result is that The climate change will be further fueled.
the researchers Also warn that the filtering of drinking water and the protection from nature could suffer hazards such as landslides and high water, especially in densely populated Central Europe is of particular importance, among the developments. And the increasing loss of old forests and large trees will also have an impact on biodiversity. Storm with destructive potential: Where to from 15 at Red alert PCP severe weather threatens with destructive potential: Where to from 15 at Red alert
maki threatens
