Forests Could Turn Out to be Carbon Sources
The Lurking Danger of Forests Churning Out Carbon
As the globe warms up, the rising temperature could play havoc with the ecological functions of forests. Right now they act as carbon sinks and things are hunky dory. But the picture is set to change. In a topsy-turvy scenario rising temperature has the potential to tip the balance and make forests sources of greenhouse gases. The warning has come from the venerable institution, International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO).
Report of IUFRO on Forests and Climate Change
The report of IUFRO titled "Adaptation of Forests and People to Climate Change – A Global Assessment" authored by 35 leading forestry scientists from around the globe, examined the potential impacts of climate change on the world's major forest types and their capacity to adapt to climate changes. The report says all that is required is a 2.5-degree-C rise in temperatures to reverse the carbon sequestering function of global forests. Right now the forests around the world capture about a quarter of carbon emissions.
Opinion of Dr Dr Risto Seppälä
Dr Risto Seppälä, a professor at the Finnish Forest Research Institute who chaired the expert panel that produced the report is emphatic that over the next few decades, damage induced by climate change could cause forests to release huge quantities of carbon and create a situation in which they do more to accelerate warming than to slow it down. He says some forests will benefit from warmer conditions, increased rainfall, and carbon dioxide fertilization effects, while others will take a beating in terms of drought, fire, and pest outbreaks.
Temporary Reprieve for Temperate Forests
Temperate forests may get a temporary reprieve. Productivity may get a temporary hike in temperate forests closest to the poles. Research from the report indicates that climate change could cause more than a 40 percent increase in timber growth in Finland. The picture is likely to show a decrease in temperate forests around the subtropics. Similarly productivity of subtropical woodlands could increase due to the fertilizer effect of higher atmospheric CO2 levels but, in other cases, rising temperatures, higher evaporation and lower rainfall could be a causative factor for lower productivity. Drought is going to be a big headache especially in the western United States, northern China, southern Europe and the Mediterranean, subtropical Africa, Central America and Australia. These droughts have the potential to ignite forest fires. Large tracts of forest would be made vulnerable to attack by pests and pathogens. The cascading effects would be very deleterious.
Countries Affected by Climate Change
Africa is going to be very severely hit by these climatic changes. Decreased rainfall and increased incidence and severity of drought will put forest-dependent people in Africa at a great disadvantage. Forest-dependent people will find it exceedingly difficult to meet their basic needs for food, clean water and other necessities. This will lead to worsening of conditions of poverty, deterioration of public health and will lead to increased social conflict. Wealthy countries are not inured from the impacts. Impacts of climate change will affect timber production in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Sustainable Forest Management
The report says that wider application of sustainable forest management practice is the only light at the end of the tunnel. Effectively utilized it could help ameliorate some of the impacts of climate change, but such efforts may prove to be only a temporary reprieve in the face of burgeoning carbon emissions. Climate change would, in the course of the current century, exceed the adaptive capacity of many forests. The only sure shot way to ensure that forests do not suffer unprecedented harm is to go in for large scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions
More research is needed to better understand precisely how climate change will impact forests and how effective different adaptation responses will be. According to Dr Risto Seppala the challenge facing policy makers is that they must act even in the face of imperfect data because climate change is progressing too quickly to postpone action. Even though the danger signals are aplenty it is not too late to act. The time to act is now.
References
Risto Seppälä, Alexander Buck, & Pia Katila (Editors). ADAPTATION OF FORESTS AND PEOPLE TO CLIMATE CHANGE – A Global Assessment Report. Prepared by the Global Forest Expert Panel on Adaptation of Forests to Climate Change. International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO). World Series Volume 22. April 2009.
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