Climate protec­tors forest

Forests in Climate Change

We depend on forests – they provide us with wood, bind CO₂, store water, regulate tempe­ra­tures, are habitats for many species – and are there­fore an essen­tial basis of life. We need them.

How much chance our forests have in climate change and what they can achieve is influenced by how the forest is struc­tured.

 

Mixed deciduous forests: all-rounders in climate change

• Humus forma­tion: leaves and branches fall to the ground and are decom­posed by count­less organisms into fertile humus. In contrast to the litter layer in conife­rous forests, the soil is less acidic, which promotes the diver­sity of soil organisms.
• Cooling effect: leaves reflect some of the sunlight and evapo­rate water through the leaves – this cools and lowers the tempe­ra­ture, even on hot days. Deciduous trees cool more effec­tively than conifers.
• Water storage: mixed deciduous forests store rain better than conife­rous forests and thus protect against flooding and drying out. Some of the rain seeps into the ground­water, from which 70 % of our drinking water comes. Another part of the rain is evapo­rated by the deciduous trees, which leads to rain elsewhere again – this stabi­lises the green water cycle.
• Biodi­ver­sity: broad­leaf mixed forests offer various struc­tures through diffe­rent tree species, deadwood, under­growth, leaves and humus, creating count­less niches for more birds, insects, fungi and mammals.
• Resili­ence: Mixed deciduous forests with diffe­rent species are more stable against storms, drought and pests, because the risk of damage is spread across diffe­rent species and the balance between pests and benefi­cial organisms is improved by greater species diver­sity.
• Carbon sink: The more resilient the forest, the more stable its ability to store CO2.

 

Monos­truc­tured conife­rous forests: high risk

Many of today’s forests were planted as commer­cial forests – often with non-native, fast-growing pines or spruces. These monocul­tures:

• are more suscep­tible to storm and drought damage as well as pests,
• have a lower water storage capacity,
• harbour fewer species
• and are there­fore less climate-resilient than broad­leaf mixed forests.

More than 40 % of the German forest are monos­truc­tured conife­rous forests planted far from their natural sites. If increased droughts and damaging events, such as bark beetle infesta­tions, lead to their mass die-off, then these conife­rous forests become CO² emitters instead of CO² sinks, because the carbon bound in wood, litter and soil is released again. The latter causes CO² emissions and further warming.

 

Climate-adapted forests

The forest of the future consists of diffe­rent tree species and is designed as a climate-resilient mixed deciduous forest. It is species-rich, is managed as close to nature as possible, has humus-rich soils and can store rainwater very well.

 

Conclu­sion: Forests are not just a backdrop

Forests are not a backdrop. Healthy and climate-resilient forests are active allies in climate change. Anyone who plants deciduous trees and promotes mixed deciduous forests streng­thens climate-resilient, near-natural and vibrant forests that can bind carbon better and help us protect the climate.