Managing Boreal Forests in the Context of Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Climate Change Mitigation

In many places in the world, forests dominate landscapes and provide various products. Future climate change could profoundly alter the productivity of forest ecosystems and species composition. Until now, climate impact research has primarily focused on the likely impacts of rise in temperature, increased atmospheric CO2 concentration, and varying precipitation on unmanaged forests. The issue that now needs to be addressed is how to sustainably manage climate change for timber production and biomass. Though climate change is a global issue, impacts on forests depend on local environmental conditions and management methods, so this book will look at the issue under varying local contexts.

Introduction. Boreal forests in global and local context. Global boreal forests. Managed boreal forests in local context. Climate change with impacts on growing conditions. Global climate change. Climate change in local context, with changes in growing conditions. Impacts of climate change on ecophysiological performance of selected boreal tree species. Carbon uptake and climate change. Response of respiration to climate change. Response of transpiration to climate change – experimental findings. Impacts and sensitivities of physiology of whole tree. Growth and structure of trees under climate change. Properties of plant material under climate change. Eco-physiological approach in modelling responses of boreal forest ecosystem to climate change. Impact mechanisms linking the dynamics of forest ecosystem to climate change. Model for climate change impact studies with applications for managed boreal forests. Responses of boreal forest ecosystem to climate change and management – model approaches. Impacts of climate change on productivity of boreal forests. Impacts of climate change on growth and development of boreal tree populations and forests. Sustainable management of boreal forests for timber and biomass under climate change. Disturbances and risks in response to climate change. Disturbances and damages effecting growth and development of boreal forests under climate change. Management of boreal forests under climate change for adaptation and mitigation of climate change. Management of forests for adaptation to climate change. Management of forests for mitigation of climate change. Managed boreal forests under climate change – perspectives. Climate change and managed boreal forests.