Strategic roadmap to assess forest vulnerability under air pollution and climate change

• Published in: Global change biology 2022-09, Vol.28 (17), p.5062-5085
• Main Authors: De Marco, Alessandra, Sicard, Pierre, Feng, Zhaozhong, Agathokleous, Evgenios, Alonso, Rocio, Araminiene, Valda, Augustatis, Algirdas, Badea, Ovidiu, Beasley, James C., Branquinho, Cristina, Bruckman, Viktor J., Collalti, Alessio, David‐Schwartz, Rakefet, Domingos, Marisa, Du, Enzai, Garcia Gomez, Hector, Hashimoto, Shoji, Hoshika, Yasutomo, Jakovljevic, Tamara, McNulty, Steven, Oksanen, Elina, Omidi Khaniabadi, Yusef, Prescher, Anne‐Katrin, Saitanis, Costas J., Sase, Hiroyuki, Schmitz, Andreas, Voigt, Gabriele, Watanabe, Makoto, Wood, Michael D., Kozlov, Mikhail V., Paoletti, Elena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abiotic factors; Air pollution; Air pollution effects; Cations; Climate change; Climate effects; Climate models; Environmental impact; ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; forest ecosystem; Forest ecosystems; forest nutrients; forest research roadmap; forest vulnerability; Forests; Plant species; Pollutants; Pollution monitoring; radioactivity; Radioisotopes; Radionuclide kinetics; Satellites; Terrestrial ecosystems; Vulnerability
• ISSN: 1354-1013; 1365-2486
• DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16278

Although it is an integral part of global change, most of the research addressing the effects of climate change on forests have overlooked the role of environmental pollution. Similarly, most studies investigating the effects of air pollutants on forests have generally neglected the impacts of climate change. We review the current knowledge on combined air pollution and climate change effects on global forest ecosystems and identify several key research priorities as a roadmap for the future. Specifically, we recommend (1) the establishment of much denser array of monitoring sites, particularly in the South Hemisphere; (2) further integration of ground and satellite monitoring; (3) generation of flux‐based standards and critical levels taking into account the sensitivity of dominant forest tree species; (4) long‐term monitoring of N, S, P cycles and base cations deposition together at global scale; (5) intensification of experimental studies, addressing the combined effects of different abiotic factors on forests by assuring a better representation of taxonomic and functional diversity across the ~73,000 tree species on Earth; (6) more experimental focus on phenomics and genomics; (7) improved knowledge on key processes regulating the dynamics of radionuclides in forest systems; and (8) development of models integrating air pollution and climate change data from long‐term monitoring programs. Air pollution and climate change interact in affecting forest ecosystems. IUFRO experts propose major prospects for protecting vulnerable forests. We need more long‐term ground monitoring sites, satellite monitoring, species‐specific critical levels, combined experimental studies e.g. on phenomics and genomics, understanding of key processes e.g. nutrients cycles and radionuclides dynamics, and integrated modelling.