Climate change

This was the theme of NordGen Forest’s annual conference held at Hallormsstadur in eastern Iceland on 17-18 September.

More than 30 participants from all Nordic countries attained the conference which contained 11 high-quality presentations addressing the expected nature of climatic change, consequences for forest ecosystems and forestry and measures to meet these changes.

Read the NB Forest Policy and Research Brief 'Northern forests in a changing climate' (pdf).

Introducing exotic tree species offers an attractive solution to dealing with a warmer climate. However, it is a solution associated with risk. What are the guarantees that the exotics don’t become invasive and turn out to be a problem? An SNS- supported project draws the conclusion that introductions will still be needed, but must be undertaken with caution and based on experience.

A new study on NordGen talks about how forest trees have survived a series of climate change cycles in the past. The study implies that trees are robust and have an extensive adaptive potential to changing climate patterns.

The 5thJoensuu Forest Networking Week was arranged by Metla in cooperation with University of Eastern Finland, EFI, EFINORD and North Karelia University of Applied Sciences.

The International Model Forest Network (IMFN) is a global community that works towards the common goal of sustainable managing forest-based landscapes through the Model Forest approach. The IMFN is comprised of all member Model Forests around the world.

The FORMIT (FORest Management Options for enhancing the MITigation potential of European forests)  project sets to develop key criteria, know-how and methodologies for assessing forest management strategies that explicitly focus on the mitigation potential of European forests, taking into account regional differences.

Thus, the overarching goal of the project is to investigate the associated risk, conflicting or even contradicting issues in managing forest for carbon mitigation.

Scientists in Sweden found that most of the carbon that is sequestered in northern forests is stored thanks to fungi that live on and in tree roots, rather than via dead needles, moss and leaf matter.