Knowledge gaps about forest damage in Sweden

Abstract

This report aims to identify knowledge gaps concerning forest damage in a changing climate, and to discuss their implications for Swedish forestry. The report regards forest damage in Sweden, including interactions among damagecausing agents and abiotic factors. It also highlights insufficient use of existing tools and approaches.

Part I focuses on biotic damage-causing agents and abiotic factors. The biotic agents include insects, pathogens, and their interactions, as well as browsing damage. The abiotic factors are drought and forest fires. One overarching theme is whether the risks from these agents and factors will increase under a changing climate, and which management options may counter them.

Part II focuses on quantification and modelling of the interactions between damage, damaging agents and factors, and forest management. Different types of quantification frameworks are considered, with a focus on identifying what is missing in order to better understand the ecological drivers and possible damage-mitigation measures.

To illustrate the relationship between damaging agents and factors and different forest management practices under a changing climate, a quantification exercise is undertaken for wind damage under different future climate scenarios. The aim is, first, to illustrate how relevant knowledge of the future informs any quantification exercise; and second, to demonstrate how model limitations determine what can and cannot be learned from them. This may be of great importance for stakeholders in the sector.

Published in

Publisher: SLU Forest Damage Centre, Swedish Agricultural Science University

SLU Authors

• Krishnamurthy, Chandra

  • Department of Forest Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Klapwijk, Maartje

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Menkis, Audrius

  • Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Widemo, Fredrik

  • Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Lundström, Johanna

  • Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Bohlin, Inka

  • Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Subramanian, Narayanan

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Matsiakh, Iryna

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Lopez-Andujar Fustel, Teresa

  • Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Associated SLU-program

SLU Forest Damage Centre

UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.54612/a.5fu7n0vqvu

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/145006