Living with Storm Damage to Forests

132 Pages·2013·4.08 MB·English

What Science Living with Storm
Can Tell Us
Damage to Forests
Barry Gardiner, Andreas Schuck, Mart-Jan Schelhaas,
Christophe Orazio, Kristina Blennow and Bruce Nicoll (editors)
What Science Can Tell Us 3
2013
What
Science
Can Tell Us
Lauri Hetemäki, Editor-In-Chief
Minna Korhonen, Managing Editor
The editorial offce can be contacted at
Living with Storm
What Science
Can Tell Us Damage to Forests
Barry Gardiner, Andreas Schuck, Mart-Jan Schelhaas,
Christophe Orazio, Kristina Blennow and Bruce Nicoll (editors)
To the memory of Marie-Pierre Reviron
Contents
Contributing Authors and Drafting Committee .............................................................. 7
Foreword .............................................................................................................................9
Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 11
Barry Gardiner
1. Storm damage in Europe – an overview ......................................................................15
Andreas Schuck and Mart-Jan Schelhaas
2. Susceptibility to Wind Damage .................................................................................. 25
2.1. Airfow over forests ......................................................................................... 25
Yves Brunet
2.2. Mechanics of wind damage .............................................................................31
Heli Peltola, Barry Gardiner and Bruce Nicoll
2.3. Infuence of stand characteristics and landscape structure
on wind damage ..............................................................................................39
Marc Hanewinkel, Axel Albrecht and Matthias Schmidt
3. Impacts of Storms ........................................................................................................47
3.1. Infuence of storm damage on the forest carbon balance ............................47
Esther Thürig, Frank Hagedorn and Anders Lindroth
3.2. The economic impact of storms ......................................................................55
Marc Hanewinkel and Jean Luc Peyron
3.3. Impact on industry and markets – roundwood prices and
procurement risks .......................................................................................... 64
Peter Schwarzbauer and Peter Rauch
3.4. Societal impacts of storm damage..................................................................70
Kristina Blennow and Erik Persson
4. Response and Prevention ............................................................................................79
4.1. Mitigation of forest damage ...........................................................................79
Barry Gardiner and Peter Welten
4.2. Managing forests to reduce storm damage ...................................................87
Bill Mason and Erik Valinger
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W H AT S C I E N C E C A N T E L L U S
4.3. Immediate crisis response ..............................................................................97
Christophe Orazio
4.4. Risk management and risk perception – understanding the
social dimensions in responding to the threat of storm damage............... 103
Mariella Marzano, Kristina Blennow and Chris Quine
5. Future Prospects ........................................................................................................109
5.1. Climate change and storm damage risk in European forests ....................109
Marcus Lindner and Markku Rummukainen
5.2. Future of European forestry ...........................................................................116
Kit Prins and Mart-Jan Schelhaas
5.3. Challenges for forestry in relation to storms ................................................123
Yves Birot and Barry Gardiner
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Living with Storm Damage to Forests
Contributing Authors and
Drafting Committee
Contributing authors
Axel Albrecht, Forstliche Versuchs- und Forschungsanstalt Baden-Württemberg (FVA),
Freiburg, Germany
Kristina Blennow, Swedish University of Agriculture Sciences (SLU), Alnarp, Sweden
Yves Birot, Académie d’Agriculture de France, France
Yves Brunet, INRA, Bordeaux, France
Barry Gardiner, INRA, Bordeaux, France
Frank Hagedorn, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research
(WSL), Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Marc Hanewinkel, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research
(WSL), Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Marcus Lindner, European Forest Institute
Anders Lindroth, Lund University, Sweden
Mariella Marzano, Forest Research, Roslin, UK
Bill Mason, Forest Research, Roslin, UK
Bruce Nicoll, Forest Research, Roslin, UK
Christophe Orazio, Atlantic European Regional Offce of the European Forest Institute
(EFIATLANTIC), Bordeaux, France
Heli Peltola, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
Erik Persson, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Alnarp, Sweden
Jean-Luc Peyron, GIP-ECOFOR, France
Kit Prins, Central European Regional Offce of the European Forest Institute
(EFICENT), Freiburg, Germany
Chris Quine, Forest Research, Roslin, UK
Peter Rauch, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU),
Vienna, Austria
Markku Rummukainen, Lund University, Sweden
Mart-Jan Schelhaas, Alterra, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Matthias Schmidt, Northwest German Forest Research Station (NW-FVA),
Göttingen, Germany
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W H AT S C I E N C E C A N T E L L U S
Andreas Schuck, Central European Regional Offce of the European Forest Institute,
(EFICENT), Freiburg, Germany
Peter Schwarzbauer, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU),
Vienna, Austria
Esther Thuerig, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research
(WSL), Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Erik Valinger, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå, Sweden
Peter Welten, Swiss Re, Switzerland
Drafting committee
Barry Gardiner, INRA, Bordeaux, France
Andreas Schuck, Central European Regional Offce of the European Forest Institute
(EFICENT), Freiburg, Germany
Christophe Orazio, Atlantic European Regional Offce of the European Forest Institute
(EFIATLANTIC), Bordeaux, France
Jean-Luc Peyron, GIP-ECOFOR, France
Kristina Blennow, Swedish University of Agriculture Sciences (SLU), Alnarp, Sweden
Mart-Jan Schelhaas, Alterra, Wageningen, the Netherlands
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Living with Storm Damage to Forests
Foreword
indstorms are a major disturbance factor for European forests. In the past
six decades wind storms have damaged standing forest volume, which on
Wa yearly average equals about the size of Poland’s annual fellings. The ev-
idence also indicates that the actual severity of storms in the wake of climatic changes
may increase during the next decades.
Windstorm damages have many environmental, economic and social implications.
Consequently, it is important to try to prevent these damages, and better manage those
which cannot be prevented. For this purpose, we need to better understand the many-
sided impacts of windstorm to European forests and forestry, and the possible actions
which help to minimize the occurrences of damage and how to manage them. It is exactly
these issues that this report is addressing and providing valuable synthesis and insights.
In the above context, I want to pick up one direct and valuable contribution of this
publication. The European Forest Institute (EFI) is in the process of investigating the
role of a European Forest Risk Facility Network, which would address the major potential
disturbances for European forests, and provide support through scientifc information
and analyses that will help to prevent, control and manage these disturbances. It will
ensure we build on the extensive knowledge and expertise existing within Europe and
beyond. To this initiative, the current study provides a helpful background by address-
ing one important risk factor. It also sets an example of a quality study, which could
work as a role model for similar studies to be produced by such a Facility in the future.
The publication is written by a group of renowned natural and social scientists. I
would like to congratulate the editors and authors for their excellent work, and for trans-
lating scientifc information into a format which can be used not only by scientists, but
even more so by professionals, stakeholders, policymakers, students and anyone inter-
ested in the topic.
I would like to especially thank Gert-Jan Nabuurs and Jean-Claude Ruel for review-
ing the manuscript and providing valuable comments and suggestions.
This assessment would not have been possible without fnancial support from the
Ministry of Rural Development and Consumer Protection, Baden Württemberg (MLR),
the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), and the
National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), France.
Finally, I would like to join the editors in their dedication of this book to Marie-Pierre
Reviron. She worked at the Atlantic European Regional Offce of the European Forest In-
stitute – EFIATLANTIC during 2009 and 2010. She played a leading role in the EFIAT-
LANTIC co-ordinated project for the European Commission on “Destructive storms in
European forests: past and forthcoming impacts”, which was the catalyst for this book.
Her colleagues at EFIATLANTIC and at other EFI locations as well as the project partic-
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ipants remember Marie-Pierre for her enthusiasm in her work and for her warm heart
alike. Her unexpected death in August 2010 touched our research community deeply.
I wish you interesting and valuable reading.
Lauri Hetemäki
Editor-in-chief, What Science Can Tell Us-series
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