Forest management will have a stronger effect than climate change on the supply of ecosystem services, says study

By University of Jyväskylä
Phys.org
February 7, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Forests contribute to human well-being by providing a wide variety of ecosystem services to the society. The boreal biome is experiencing rapid changes both with the highest rates of warming on the planet and continued increase in demand for forest products. It is a real challenge to manage and adapt boreal forests to future warmer conditions and growing demands of forest products. A new study published in Global Change Biology explores the relative importance of forest management and climate change on the supply of ecosystem services and if the importance of these two drivers varies among biogeographical zones. The study, led by researchers from the University of Jyväskylä, used forest growth simulations to project forest dynamics in Finland 100 years into the future (2016–2116). This study estimated the potential supply of eight forest ecosystem services given seven management regimes and four climate change scenarios.

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