Climate change is ongoing and, besides the global warming trend (current global temperatures are already more than 1 degree above the pre-industrial levels), it is particularly worrying that extreme events are amplified, resulting in extended periods of hot spells and drought. The years 2018 and 2019 were exceptionally warm and dry in large parts of Europe. For example, the temperatures during the growing season 2018 deviated twice as much from the average climate compared to previous hot years (Rahmstorf 2018). With continuing climate warming, the current extreme weather patterns may soon become common and the future will probably bring even more extreme temperatures and drought spells. In recent years, European forests have been affected by severe droughts, widespread wildfires, a series of severe windstorms, and rapidly expanding bark beetle infestations, in some places accompanied by new invasive pests taking advantage of the weakening of trees through the aforementioned disturbances. Evidence is increasing that these events have become much more frequent and more threatening because of ongoing climate change. What makes this situation different from the past is not only the number of disturbances but also the extent of damage, the number of human fatalities (e.g. the Attica fire in Greece 2018 killed 100 people), and the fact that in a single year, severe disturbances occurred all over Europe, often in locations that have not experienced similar events before. It is also noteworthy that observed impacts exceeded the expectations from past impact projections (Lorenz et al. 2019), which challenges sustainable forest management (SFM) in Europe and makes adaptation to climate change necessary. Adaptation to climate change refers to adjustments in
ecological, social and economic systems in response to its effects. There are various approaches to climate-change adaptation and many supporting measures need to be considered. Effective adaptation policies must be responsive to a wide variety of economic, social, environmental and political circumstances. The forestry community, as well as the public, need to understand the effects of climate change on forests and determine which adaptive actions could be taken now and in the future to respond to this threat. A high priority should be given to the coping with and
adapting to forest disturbances while maintaining and enhancing the diversity and resilience of forest ecosystems.
The need for strengthening the resilience of European forests and enhancing their protection against natural hazards and human induced threats associated with climate change was highlighted by European ministers at the 7th FOREST EUROPE Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe in 2015. Part I. Policy recommendations of the FOREST EUROPE Expert Group on Adaptation of Forests to Climate Change; Part II. 1 International and pan-European forest policy context of adaptation of forests to climate change; 1.1 International commitments at global level ; 1.2 Commitments at pan-European level ; 2 Implementation of adaptation measures in the pan-European region; 2.1 Adaptation strategies and measures by FOREST EUROPE signatories; 2.2 Adaptation measures by sub-regions; 3 Climate change adaptation know-how, needs and challenges
3.1 Observed climate change impacts and evolution of climate change adaptation know-how; 3.2 Higher intensity of already known and emerging threats - lack of resilience; 3.3 Application and prioritization of state-of-the-art adaptation know-how; 3.4 Societal demands affecting acceptance of adaptation strategies; 3.5 Adaptation challenges for the timber industry; 3.6 Knowledge gaps and challenges; 3.7 The way forward: comprehensive planning for adaptive forest management; 4 Contributions from the FOREST EUROPE Workshops; 4.1 Agroforestry – potentials for enhancing resilience; 4.1 Managing forest disturbance risks and adaptation of forests to climate change; 5 Country examples in climate change adaptation and disturbance risk prevention.
