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Living with Storm Damage to Forests

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Living with Storm Damage to Forests 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 office can be contacted at [email protected] Layout: Kopijyvä Oy / Jouni Halonen Printing: Painotalo Seiska Oy Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the European Forest Institute. ISBN: 978-952-5980-08-0 (printed) ISBN: 978-952-5980-09-7 (pdf) 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. Airflow over forests ......................................................................................... 25 Yves Brunet 2.2. Mechanics of wind damage .............................................................................31 Heli Peltola, Barry Gardiner and Bruce Nicoll 2.3. Influence of stand characteristics and landscape structure on wind damage ..............................................................................................39 Marc Hanewinkel, Axel Albrecht and Matthias Schmidt 3. Impacts of Storms ........................................................................................................47 3.1. Influence 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 5 WHAT SCIENCE CAN TELL US 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 6 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 Office 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 Office 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 7 WHAT SCIENCE CAN TELL US Andreas Schuck, Central European Regional Office 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 Office of the European Forest Institute (EFICENT), Freiburg, Germany Christophe Orazio, Atlantic European Regional Office 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 8 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 scientific 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 scientific 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 financial 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 Office 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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