Impacts on and damage to European forests from the 2018–2022 heat and drought events
<p>Drought and heat events in Europe are becoming increasingly frequent due to human-induced climate change, impacting both human well-being and ecosystem functioning. The intensity and effects of these events vary across the continent, making it crucial for decision-makers to understand spati...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/25/77/2025/nhess-25-77-2025.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1841557879485628416 |
|---|---|
| author | F. Knutzen P. Averbeck C. Barrasso C. Barrasso L. M. Bouwer L. M. Bouwer B. Gardiner J. M. Grünzweig S. Hänel K. Haustein K. Haustein M. R. Johannessen S. Kollet M. M. Müller J.-P. Pietikäinen K. Pietras-Couffignal K. Pietras-Couffignal J. G. Pinto D. Rechid E. Rousi A. Russo A. Russo L. Suarez-Gutierrez L. Suarez-Gutierrez S. Veit S. Veit J. Wendler E. Xoplaki D. Gliksman D. Gliksman |
| author_facet | F. Knutzen P. Averbeck C. Barrasso C. Barrasso L. M. Bouwer L. M. Bouwer B. Gardiner J. M. Grünzweig S. Hänel K. Haustein K. Haustein M. R. Johannessen S. Kollet M. M. Müller J.-P. Pietikäinen K. Pietras-Couffignal K. Pietras-Couffignal J. G. Pinto D. Rechid E. Rousi A. Russo A. Russo L. Suarez-Gutierrez L. Suarez-Gutierrez S. Veit S. Veit J. Wendler E. Xoplaki D. Gliksman D. Gliksman |
| author_sort | F. Knutzen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Drought and heat events in Europe are becoming increasingly frequent due to human-induced climate change, impacting both human well-being and ecosystem functioning. The intensity and effects of these events vary across the continent, making it crucial for decision-makers to understand spatial variability in drought impacts. Data on drought-related damage are currently dispersed across scientific publications, government reports, and media outlets. This study consolidates data on drought and heat damage in European forests from 2018 to 2022, using Europe-wide datasets including those related to crown defoliation, insect damage, burnt forest areas, and tree cover loss. The data, covering 16 European countries, were analysed across four regions, northern, central, Alpine, and southern, and compared with a reference period from 2010 to 2014.</p>
<p>Findings reveal that forests in all zones experienced reduced vitality due to drought and elevated temperatures, with varying severity. Central Europe showed the highest vulnerability, impacting both coniferous and deciduous trees. The southern zone, while affected by tree cover loss, demonstrated greater resilience, likely due to historical drought exposure. The northern zone is experiencing emerging impacts less severely, possibly due to site-adapted boreal species, while the Alpine zone showed minimal impact, suggesting a protective effect of altitude.</p>
<p>Key trends include (1) significant tree cover loss in the northern, central, and southern zones; (2) high damage levels despite 2021 being an average year, indicating lasting effects from previous years; (3) notable challenges in the central zone and in Sweden due to bark beetle infestations; and (4) no increase in wildfire severity in southern Europe despite ongoing challenges.</p>
<p>Based on this assessment, we conclude that (i) European forests are highly vulnerable to drought and heat, with even resilient ecosystems at risk of severe damage; (ii) tailored strategies are essential to mitigate climate change impacts on European forests, incorporating regional differences in forest damage and resilience; and (iii) effective management requires harmonised data collection and enhanced monitoring to address future challenges comprehensively.</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e962d6c009c5473aa103b22c89a1e7e2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1561-8633 1684-9981 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-e962d6c009c5473aa103b22c89a1e7e22025-01-06T09:50:15ZengCopernicus PublicationsNatural Hazards and Earth System Sciences1561-86331684-99812025-01-01257711710.5194/nhess-25-77-2025Impacts on and damage to European forests from the 2018–2022 heat and drought eventsF. Knutzen0P. Averbeck1C. Barrasso2C. Barrasso3L. M. Bouwer4L. M. Bouwer5B. Gardiner6J. M. Grünzweig7S. Hänel8K. Haustein9K. Haustein10M. R. Johannessen11S. Kollet12M. M. Müller13J.-P. Pietikäinen14K. Pietras-Couffignal15K. Pietras-Couffignal16J. G. Pinto17D. Rechid18E. Rousi19A. Russo20A. Russo21L. Suarez-Gutierrez22L. Suarez-Gutierrez23S. Veit24S. Veit25J. Wendler26E. Xoplaki27D. Gliksman28D. Gliksman29Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Fischertwiete 1, 20095 Hamburg, GermanyiES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU), Forststraße 7, 76829 Landau, GermanyChair of Computational Landscape Ecology, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtzstraße 10, 01069 Dresden, GermanyCenter for Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (ScaDS.AI) Dresden/Leipzig, GermanyClimate Service Center Germany (GERICS), Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Fischertwiete 1, 20095 Hamburg, GermanyInstitute of Geography, University of Hamburg, Bundesstraße 55, 20146 Hamburg, GermanyChair of Forestry Economics and Forest Planning, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacherstr. 4, 79106 Freiburg, GermanyFaculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, IsraelFaculty of Agriculture/Environment/Chemistry, University of Applied Sciences Dresden, Pillnitzer Platz 2, 01326 Dresden, GermanyClimate Service Center Germany (GERICS), Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Fischertwiete 1, 20095 Hamburg, GermanyInstitute for Meteorology, Leipzig University, Stephanstr. 3, 04103 Leipzig, GermanySchool of Business, University of South-Eastern Norway, PO Box 4, 3199 Borre, NorwayForschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Bio- und Geowissenschaften, Agrosphäre (IBG-3), Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, 52428 Jülich, GermanyInstitute of Silviculture, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), AustriaClimate Service Center Germany (GERICS), Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Fischertwiete 1, 20095 Hamburg, GermanyEberswalde Forest Competence Centre (LFE), Landeskompetenzzentrum Forst Eberswalde (LFE), Landesbetrieb Forst Brandenburg, Alfred-Möller-Straße 1, 16225 Eberswalde, GermanyFaculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznan University of Life Sciences, ul. Wojska Polskiego 28, 60-637 Poznan, PolandInstitute of Meteorology and Climate Research Troposphere Research (IMKTRO), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, GermanyClimate Service Center Germany (GERICS), Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Fischertwiete 1, 20095 Hamburg, GermanyPotsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, PO Box 60 12 03, 14412 Potsdam, GermanyFaculdade de Ciências, Instituto Dom Luiz (IDL), Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016, Lisbon, PortugalCEF – Forest Research Centre, Associate Laboratory TERRA, School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, PortugalInstitut Pierre-Simon Laplace, CNRS, 75005 Paris, FranceInstitute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, SwitzerlandClimate Service Center Germany (GERICS), Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Fischertwiete 1, 20095 Hamburg, GermanyInstitute of Geography and Geoecology (IFGG), Karlsruher Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, GermanyChair of Computational Landscape Ecology, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtzstraße 10, 01069 Dresden, GermanyDepartment of Geography and Center for International Development and Environmental Research, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Senckenbergstr. 1, 35390 Giessen, GermanyChair of Computational Landscape Ecology, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtzstraße 10, 01069 Dresden, GermanyFaculty of Environmental Sciences, Institute for Hydrology and Meteorology, Chair of Meteorology, Technische Universität Dresden, Pienner Str. 23, 01737 Tharandt, Germany<p>Drought and heat events in Europe are becoming increasingly frequent due to human-induced climate change, impacting both human well-being and ecosystem functioning. The intensity and effects of these events vary across the continent, making it crucial for decision-makers to understand spatial variability in drought impacts. Data on drought-related damage are currently dispersed across scientific publications, government reports, and media outlets. This study consolidates data on drought and heat damage in European forests from 2018 to 2022, using Europe-wide datasets including those related to crown defoliation, insect damage, burnt forest areas, and tree cover loss. The data, covering 16 European countries, were analysed across four regions, northern, central, Alpine, and southern, and compared with a reference period from 2010 to 2014.</p> <p>Findings reveal that forests in all zones experienced reduced vitality due to drought and elevated temperatures, with varying severity. Central Europe showed the highest vulnerability, impacting both coniferous and deciduous trees. The southern zone, while affected by tree cover loss, demonstrated greater resilience, likely due to historical drought exposure. The northern zone is experiencing emerging impacts less severely, possibly due to site-adapted boreal species, while the Alpine zone showed minimal impact, suggesting a protective effect of altitude.</p> <p>Key trends include (1) significant tree cover loss in the northern, central, and southern zones; (2) high damage levels despite 2021 being an average year, indicating lasting effects from previous years; (3) notable challenges in the central zone and in Sweden due to bark beetle infestations; and (4) no increase in wildfire severity in southern Europe despite ongoing challenges.</p> <p>Based on this assessment, we conclude that (i) European forests are highly vulnerable to drought and heat, with even resilient ecosystems at risk of severe damage; (ii) tailored strategies are essential to mitigate climate change impacts on European forests, incorporating regional differences in forest damage and resilience; and (iii) effective management requires harmonised data collection and enhanced monitoring to address future challenges comprehensively.</p>https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/25/77/2025/nhess-25-77-2025.pdf |
| spellingShingle | F. Knutzen P. Averbeck C. Barrasso C. Barrasso L. M. Bouwer L. M. Bouwer B. Gardiner J. M. Grünzweig S. Hänel K. Haustein K. Haustein M. R. Johannessen S. Kollet M. M. Müller J.-P. Pietikäinen K. Pietras-Couffignal K. Pietras-Couffignal J. G. Pinto D. Rechid E. Rousi A. Russo A. Russo L. Suarez-Gutierrez L. Suarez-Gutierrez S. Veit S. Veit J. Wendler E. Xoplaki D. Gliksman D. Gliksman Impacts on and damage to European forests from the 2018–2022 heat and drought events Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
| title | Impacts on and damage to European forests from the 2018–2022 heat and drought events |
| title_full | Impacts on and damage to European forests from the 2018–2022 heat and drought events |
| title_fullStr | Impacts on and damage to European forests from the 2018–2022 heat and drought events |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impacts on and damage to European forests from the 2018–2022 heat and drought events |
| title_short | Impacts on and damage to European forests from the 2018–2022 heat and drought events |
| title_sort | impacts on and damage to european forests from the 2018 2022 heat and drought events |
| url | https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/25/77/2025/nhess-25-77-2025.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fknutzen impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT paverbeck impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT cbarrasso impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT cbarrasso impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT lmbouwer impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT lmbouwer impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT bgardiner impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT jmgrunzweig impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT shanel impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT khaustein impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT khaustein impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT mrjohannessen impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT skollet impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT mmmuller impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT jppietikainen impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT kpietrascouffignal impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT kpietrascouffignal impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT jgpinto impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT drechid impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT erousi impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT arusso impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT arusso impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT lsuarezgutierrez impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT lsuarezgutierrez impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT sveit impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT sveit impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT jwendler impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT exoplaki impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT dgliksman impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents AT dgliksman impactsonanddamagetoeuropeanforestsfromthe20182022heatanddroughtevents |