Combating the effects of climatic change on forests by mitigation strategies

We simulated the development of managed forest ecosystems in Germany for the time period between 2000 and 2100 under different forest management regimes and climate change scenarios. The management regimes reflect different rotation periods, harvesting intensities and species selection for reforestations. The climate change scenarios were taken from the IPCC's Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES). We used the scenarios A1B (rapid and successful economic development) and B1 (high level of environmental and social consciousness combined with a globally coherent approach to a more sustainable development). Our results indicate that the effects of different climate change scenarios on the future productivity and species composition of German forests are minor compared to the effects of forest management.The inherent natural adaptive capacity of forest ecosystems to changing environmental conditions is limited by the long life time of trees. Planting of adapted species and forest management will reduce the impact of predicted future climate change on forests.31.5 percent of the land area in Europe (excluding the Russian Federation) is covered by forests, which provide multiple ecosystem services and functions. The carbon stored in their biomass amounts to an estimated 53 billion t C [1]. They are the single largest natural ecosystem supporting biodiversity in Europe [2] and a source of renewable energy and materials. Forest activities, wood industries and the pulp and paper industries combined contribute 1 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in European countries [1].Temperature and the availability of soil moisture are governing the natural range of European tree species. The structure and composition of many forests are further influenced by natural disturbance regimes, such as storm, fire, or insects. Forests have adapted to changing climatic conditions in past millennia. However, the recent, human-induced changes of climatic conditions are occurring at