http://academic.oup.com/auk/article-pdf/104/4/794/30081688/auk0794.pdf

An atlas of past and Present Pollen Maps for Europe: 0-13000 Years Ago

Foresters from many countries are seeking for tree species or provenances able to cope with expected climate change. While it becomes clear that some temperate tree species will increasingly suffer from climate warming, the fate of the ecologically and economically important silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) remains uncertain and debated because the ecological requirements of this species, as well as its resilience to drought, are still unclear. On the one hand, paleoecological studies reveal that this species was widely distributed under much warmer climate, suggesting a high potential to cope with ongoing and future climate warming. On the other hand, species distribution models generally predict a strong decline of its climatic suitability in the future. This paper aims to clarify the potential of this species to thrive in central and western Europe under predicted climate warming by reviewing the knowledge gained from different fields. Based on insight from different fields, we argue that silver fir has a great potential to thrive under warmer conditions in western and central Europe provided sufficient rainfall, as forecasted by climate models for most regions by 2100. For instance, dendroecological studies demonstrate that silver fir is more resistant and resilient to drought compared to co-occurring species such as Norway spruce, European beech and larch. The most prominent obstacle for increasing the proportion of fir in mixed forests nowadays is ungulate browsing that often prevents its upgrowth.

What is the potential of silver fir to thrive under warmer and drier climate

Searching for ecology in species distribution models in the Himalayas

Shrub encroachment is one of the main consequences of abandonment of montane grassland. Higher surface roughness of shrubs leads to stronger aerodynamic coupling. This should increase evapotranspiration (ET), but lower surface temperatures (due to higher ET and reduced aerodynamic resistance) could counter this effect. We explored this question by employing weighable lysimeters in adjacent grass- and shrubland understorey, and by measuring canopy transpiration in Alnus with sap flow sensors at 1675 m a.s.l. in the Swiss central Alps. For 11 bright days, ET rates of Alnus clearly exceeded those from grassland by on average 31 ± 14% or 1.2 ± 0.6 mm d−1 (mean ± sd). During days with a high vapour pressure deficit (VPD), differences in ET were largest, indicating that enhanced aerodynamic coupling had a greater influence than evaporative cooling. Cooler Alnus than grassland canopies were confirmed by infrared thermography. For the growing season (mid May to end of September), we estimate that this increase in ET results in a reduction in runoff by 78 to 81 mm (2010, 2011). Accounting for the falling height of water, this lower runoff reduces the hydro-electric potential of the upper Reuss catchment (227 km2) by 0.47 Mio Swiss Franc (CHF) per growing season (same amount in US Dollar (USD); Alnus cover analysed for the year 2004/05) and by 1.8 Mio CHF for a scenario where all grasslands below the natural treeline would be converted into shrubland. So, shrub encroachment clearly exerts hydrological drawbacks.

Alnus shrub expansion increases evapotranspiration in the Swiss Alps

Climate projections indicate large increases in temperature, requiring tree species to adapt or migrate faster than observed historic rates. In Central Europe, discussion in forest management has increasingly focused on how humans can assist these adaptation/migration processes, especially when important forest ecosystem services are at risk. One option is to introduce non-native tree species to help forest ecosystems adapt to climate change. We established a long-term experiment in autumn 2012 on five study sites in climatically different regions of Central Europe. The performance of five non-native tree species from warmer climates (Abies bornmuelleriana Mattf., Cedrus libani A. Rich., Fagus orientalis Lipsky, Tilia tomentosa Moench and Tsuga heterophylla Sarg.) was compared to that of one local species native to each site. We monitored sapling survival during the first 4 years after planting. Small differences in timing of inventory campaigns were overcome by fitting a Weibull function to survival curves and analysing time-harmonized estimates for equal biannual periods. Sapling mortality decreased over time, but early after planting, it differed between species. The native and the two non-native broadleaved species showed higher survival than the non-native coniferous species. Moreover, the site conditions of the open areas seemed to initially hamper the growth of shade-tolerant species. All species performed reasonably well during the relatively short observation period. Any differences between hazard rates almost vanished 4 years after planting, which suggests that all species tested are likely to thrive under current climate conditions. Long-term observations are, however, needed to corroborate these results.

Climate change adaptation with non-native tree species in Central European forests: early tree survival in a multi-site field trial

Les modèles statistiques permettent de déterminer la répartition des espèces dans les conditions climatiques actuelles et futures. D’après ces modèles, les essences forestières montagnardes et subalpines devraient voir leur aire de répartition diminuer en Suisse, parce que l’espace disponible se réduit en altitude d’une part, et qu’elles préfèrent des conditions fraîches et humides d’autre part. Les essences collinéennes, submontagnardes ou adaptées à la sécheresse, elles, étendront leur aire de répartition et trouveront de nouvelles stations adaptées sur le Plateau. Lorsque les conditions climatiques sont défavorables, cela ne signifie pas que les essences ne prospèrent plus mais seulement qu’elles ne sont plus observées dans les conditions données. On ne sait en effet pas à quelle vitesse la végétation s’adapte aux nouvelles conditions. L’adaptation semble induite davantage par les extrêmes climatiques que par l’évolution des valeurs moyennes. Jusqu’ici, la vitesse d’adaptation observée a été nettement plus faible que celle du déplacement vertical et latéral des conditions climatiques. Pendant le débourrement, les minimas de température influent sur la limite altitudinale de certains feuillus. Les plantules et les jeunes plants sont plus sensibles que les arbres adultes dans la mesure où leurs feuilles apparaissent plus tôt et où ils ont moins de réserves pour compenser les dommages subis. Des phénomènes tels que le foehn et les lacs d’air froid influent localement sur la distribution des essences. Les prévisions de répartition ne sont pas simples à transposer en gestion forestière car les conditions climatiques induisant un stress physiologique ne sont pas toujours clairement identifiables. En outre, les événements extrêmes sont difficiles à prévoir. Cependant, la définition d’une stratégie reposant sur un mélange d’essences réduit le risque de pertes en conditions extrêmes. À moyen terme, les essences thermophiles ou adaptées à la sécheresse devraient être privilégiées ou implantées activement à basse altitude. À une altitude subalpine, le hêtre et d’autres feuillus seront bientôt concurrentiels.

/pdf/repartition-des-essences-forestieres-et-adequation-des-52g26a36h2.pdf

Répartition des essences forestières et adéquation des stations

Schlussbericht des Projektes «Adaptierte Ökogramme» im Forschungsprogramm «Wald und Klimawandel»

Expansion and development of Green Alder stands in eastern Switzerland In many subalpine regions of Switzerland, the Green Alder (Alnus viridis) is expanding as summer pastures are abandoned. The Federal Office for the Environment has set up a research project to improve the understanding of the characteristics of Green Alder and the consequences of its expansion. This project is based on a literature search, interviews with experts and GIS-based analysis of the past and present occurrence of Green Alder in three areas of eastern Switzerland. The results show that Green Alder is present at all exposures in the research areas. It is not lime-intolerant, but is less present on well drained basic subsoils. It is much more widespread than hitherto believed. In the canton of Glarus as well as in the Surselva, the area of Green Alder stands has doubled in the past 75 years. Only a few have developed to high forest stands. Therefore Green Alder stands should be considered, at least in their optimum oceanic sites...

/pdf/die-verbreitung-und-entwicklung-der-grunerlenbestande-in-der-35a8qltn7q.pdf

Die Verbreitung und Entwicklung der Grünerlenbestände in der Ostschweiz

/pdf/klimawandel-in-der-schweiz-entwicklung-waldrelevanter-38aaauk2j0.pdf

Klimawandel in der Schweiz - Entwicklung waldrelevanter Klimagrössen

Participatory modelling of upward shifts of altitudinal vegetation belts for assessing site type transformation in Swiss forests due to climate change

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