A harmonized database of European forest simulations under climate change

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Marc Gruenig - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Werner Rammer - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Frederic Andre - , Leipzig University (Author)
  • Katharina Albrich - , Luke Natural Resources Institute Finland (Author)
  • Andrey L. D. Augustynczik - , International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg (Author)
  • Friedrich Bohn - , Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (Author)
  • Meike Bouwman - , Wageningen University & Research (WUR) (Author)
  • Harald Bugmann - , ETH Zurich (Author)
  • Alessio Collalti - , National Research Council of Italy (CNR) (Author)
  • Irina Cristal - , Forest Sciences and Technology Centre of Catalonia (Author)
  • Daniela Dalmonech - , National Research Council of Italy (CNR) (Author)
  • Miquel De Caceres - , Centro de Investigacion Ecologica y Aplicaciones Forestales (CREAF-CERCA) (Author)
  • Francois De Coligny - , University of Montpellier (Author)
  • Laura Dobor - , Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (Author)
  • Christina Dollinger - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • David I. Forrester - , Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) (Author)
  • Jordi Garcia-Gonzalo - , Forest Sciences and Technology Centre of Catalonia (Author)
  • Jose Ramon Gonzalez - , Forest Sciences and Technology Centre of Catalonia (Author)
  • Ulrike Hiltner - , ETH Zurich (Author)
  • Tomas Hlasny - , Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (Author)
  • Juha Honkaniemi - , Luke Natural Resources Institute Finland (Author)
  • Nica Huber - , ETH Zurich (Author)
  • Mathieu Jonard - , Leipzig University (Author)
  • Anna Maria Jonsson - , Lund University (Author)
  • Fredrik Lagergren - , Lund University (Author)
  • Mats Nieberg - , Chair of Forest Growth and Woody Biomass Production, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, European Forest Institute (Author)
  • Marco Mina - , Eurac Res, European Academy of Bozen-Bolzano (Author)
  • Frits Mohren - , Wageningen University & Research (WUR) (Author)
  • Christine Moos - , BFH HAFL (Author)
  • Xaxier Morin - , Sorbonne Université (Author)
  • Bart Muys - , KU Leuven (Author)
  • Mikko Peltoniemi - , Luke Natural Resources Institute Finland (Author)
  • Christopher P. O. Reyer - (Author)
  • Ilie Storms - , KU Leuven (Author)
  • Dominik Thom - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Maude Toigo - , Sorbonne Université, INRAE (Author)
  • Rupert Seidl - , Technical University of Munich (Author)

Abstract

Process-based forest models combine biological, physical, and chemical process understanding to simulate forest dynamics as an emergent property of the system. As such, they are valuable tools to investigate the effects of climate change on forest ecosystems. Specifically, they allow testing of hypotheses regarding long-term ecosystem dynamics and provide means to assess the impacts of climate scenarios on future forest development. As a consequence, numerous local-scale simulation studies have been conducted over the past decades to assess the impacts of climate change on forests. These studies apply the best available models tailored to local conditions, parameterized and evaluated by local experts. However, this treasure trove of knowledge on climate change responses remains underexplored to date, as a consistent and harmonized dataset of local model simulations is missing. Here, our objectives were (i) to compile existing local simulations on forest development under climate change in Europe in a common database, (ii) to harmonize them to a common suite of output variables, and (iii) to provide a standardized vector of auxiliary environmental variables for each simulated location to aid subsequent investigations. Our dataset of European stand- and landscape-level forest simulations contains over 1.1 million simulation runs representing 135 million simulation years for more than 13,000 unique locations spread across Europe. The data were harmonized to consistently describe forest development in terms of stand structure (dominant height), composition (dominant species, admixed species), and functioning (leaf area index). Auxiliary variables provided include consistent daily climate information (temperature, precipitation, radiation, vapor pressure deficit) as well as information on local site conditions (soil depth, soil physical properties, soil water holding capacity, plant-available nitrogen). The present dataset facilitates analyses across models and locations, with the aim to better harness the valuable information contained in local simulations for large-scale policy support, and for fostering a deeper understanding of the effects of climate change on forest ecosystems in Europe.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number110384
Number of pages14
JournalData in brief
Volume54 (2024)
Early online date3 Apr 2024
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 38646195
Scopus 85190448422

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

  • Europe's forests, Forest composition, Forest development, Forest functioning, Forest structure, Process-based models, Vegetation dynamics