JOURNAL OF NANJING FORESTRY UNIVERSITY ›› 2016, Vol. 59 ›› Issue (06): 167-173.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-2006.2016.06.026

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A review of the major impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems

WANG Heng,LI Mingshi*   

  1. Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037,China
  • Online:2016-12-18 Published:2016-12-18

Abstract: Forest ecosystem is the major component of the terrestrial ecosystems, which plays a decisive role in reducing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere to consequently mitigate global warming. The principal objectives of the current work were to investigate the impacts of climate change on forest ecosystem and the feedback mechanisms of forest ecosystems on climate change, and to develop proper forest management strategies in response to climate change. The methods and principal achievements of exploring the impacts of climate change upon forest ecosystems at home and aboard in recent years were reviewed in this analysis, with an emphasis on the influences of climate change on forest phenology, forest structure, composition and distribution, forest productivity, forest carbon stocks, forest biodiversity, forest ecosystem service, etc.,and the feedbacks of forest ecosystem on climate change were also discussed. Clarification of the limitations or deficiencies of the existing investigations and the outlook of future promising research fields were presented. To adapt to future climate scenarios or to mitigate the impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems, targeted forest management strategies and practices are recommended for sustainable forest management. The adaptive management measure are: ① to resolutely implement the policy of returning farmland to forest; ② to strengthen the protection of natural forest; ③ to formulate scientific forest management countermeasure; ④ to accelerate the development of Chinese carbon sequestration forestry.

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