University of Twente Student Theses

Login

Evaluating Forest Wood Production and Habitat Protection Functions Under Climate Change: An example of two stands in the Palatinate Forest, Germany

Sheta, Juliet (2009) Evaluating Forest Wood Production and Habitat Protection Functions Under Climate Change: An example of two stands in the Palatinate Forest, Germany.

[img] PDF
1MB
Abstract:Climate change is expected to change the way forest develop. This is likely to affect the quality of goods and services offered by forests. Sustainable forest management needs to adapt to climateinduced changes. This requires information concerning the nature of these changes. The main aim of this study was to evaluate forest wood production and habitat protection functions under climate change. At the same time, the appropriateness of existing tools for use in the context of climate change was explored. The growth of trees under future (A1B climate of 2071 to 2100) and current (2001 to 2030) climate scenarios was simulated using SILVA forest growth model for a 30-year period with no thinning. Two 50m x 50m test plots from Merzalben (mixed oak and beech) and Johanniskreuz (pine and beech) were used for the simulation. The study revealed a statistically significant reduction in tree growth under the future climate at 95% confidence interval. The simulated average tree DBH increment under the future climate was 1.53 cm less for the oak trees and 1.50cm less for the pine trees than under the current climate. The reduction in growth was attributed to limited water availability during the vegetation period under future climate. The future wood production and habitat protection functions in the same test plots under the current (2001 - 2030) and future climate (2070-2100) scenarios were evaluated using an existing evaluation framework currently used in the Rhineland Palatinate. According to the evaluation, there is no change in the suitability of the forest stands for wood production and habitat protection. Although the framework reflects spatial variation well, only a small percentage of the criteria are sensitive to temporal changes.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:ITC: Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation
Programme:Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation MSc (75014)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/93041
Export this item as:BibTeX
EndNote
HTML Citation
Reference Manager

 

Repository Staff Only: item control page