Rising temperatures could reverse the role forests play in mitigating climate change, turning them into net sources of greenhouse gases, reports a new assessment by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO).
Forests around the world are widely expected to face significant pressures from climate change over the coming century. Although the magnitudes of the projected temperature rises and precipitation changes are still uncertain, modelling based on mean figures shows that ecological, economic and social disruptions are likely. Ecological effects range from phenological changes and extensions of growing seasons to widespread forest structural changes, species migrations and extinctions.
