Forests And Climate Change

Forests occupy 30% percent and cover about 4 billion hectares of the earth’s surface area. Forests have multiple functions, all of which are beneficial. They absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. They hold the soil together and stop soil erosion. They increase soil fertility through humus and organic matter. They increase ground water percolation because their deep roots enable water to travel downwards. Forests provide the source of rivers and surface water. They cool the environment by the release of watervapour in evapotranspiration. Forests attract rain, basically by forming huge dense moisture clouds above them. Forests are the home of 80% of dry land species. They house millions of undiscovered and known flora and fauna. Forests provide medicinal plants, are a source of wood and fuel; and also supplement the human diet.

Generally, they support over 80 million jobs (inclusive of tourism, apiculture etc.) and 1.6 billion people and their livelihoods. They provide around 100 billion per year in their goods and services. They are therefore an important part of the economic sector. There are over 60,000 species of trees, majority in forests

 

 

 

African forest - Aimee/iwaria

They have cultural and spiritual value as well, and are the physical homes of forest dwelling people like the Ogiek of Kenya.

In particular, as a result of photosynthesis, forests are the lungs of the planet. They “breathe in” carbon dioxide and “breathe out” oxygen.

Forests are affected by climate change, and also impact climate change.

These vast green spaces have sequestered over 2 billion tons of carbon from the air every year since the beginning of the 21^st century. Therefore, they mitigate climate change.

Currently, both degradation and deforestation accounts for 17% or a sixth of all greenhouse gas emissions. However up to 2050, they are projected to eliminate 10% of emissions. They influence climate in some crucial ways. The first is that they absorb carbon dioxide and lock it in their trunks or in the ground as soil carbon. This is the major way that they regulate climate. Forests release moisture through evapotranspiration. They also foster cloud formation through release of chemicals that seed clouds. All this increases precipitation. By releasing moisture, they also cool the physical environment. This in turn lowers air temperature.

In these ways, forests create microclimates and influence the global climate system.

Forests hold half of all land based carbon stocks whether above the soil or stored beneath it.

Forests face many pressures, mostly from human beings. Deforestation is the clearing of forests; for agriculture, which is the biggest reason, and for mining as well. Around 420 million ha of forest acreage have vanished from 1990, being used for other purposes.

Forests are converted into human settlements. They are reduced by beef ranches and pastoralists. Forests are cleared to develop oil fields and face encroachment from urbanization. They are cut down for timber and woodfuel as well as for artisanal purposes. Forest degradation is from the fragmentation or division of forest land into smaller pieces because of industrial or infrastructural development.

Forests are affected by climate change in several ways. First is climate change caused droughts and higher temperatures which hinder tree growth. All green plants need water to grow and mature. Lack of it, or extremely long dry spells could increase the drying out of forests. This consequently hinders the ability of forests to sequester carbon because it directly minimizes the number of trees absorbing carbon dioxide.

Also, droughts and dry conditions increase incidences of wildfires which consume more forest surface area than normal. These fires are hotter, spread faster and for longer distances.

Climate change also widens the endemic areas of pests and disease-causing pathogens. With climate change, traditionally cold areas are becoming hotter and often more humid, increasing the range and survival rate of pests that prey on forest trees.

This is also the case for forest diseases.

This is one of the ways that climate change affects forest health, that is, the vitality of forest trees. Additionally, lack of water means trees do not attain the best rates of growth and so can be unhealthy and suffer from reduced girth.

Climate change also affects forest biodiversity, which is the variety of different trees species and their numbers. The lifecycle of tree species is directly impacted by climatic changes. Flowering, maturation and fruiting are all directly linked to air temperature and rainfall and are occurring earlier than before.

Insect populations especially those serving as pollinators are also influenced by climate change. This ricochets and affects the ability of forests to multiply and spread.

Research suggests that forested areas in the tropics will shrink because of climate change, while in temperate zones they will expand. In fact in general, vegetation belts are migrating upwards to the poles because of climate change.

The ability of forests to migrate or adapt to climate change is what will affect their survival. While entire forests may not be wiped out, climate change will affect the composition of tree species. This is because different species need differing levels of temperature, water availability and carbon dioxide and nitrogen levels. Various trees varieties are each suited to different climate regimes.

In general increasing amounts of carbon dioxide may spur growth, but this is determined also by water availability. So areas that will receive more rain are likely to experience robust forest growth whilst taking advantage of the rising levels of carbon dioxide in the air.

However this scenario is neither uniform nor evenly distributed everywhere.

There are several approaches to aid the success of climate mitigation in the forestry sector.

Managing forests in a sustainable manner is by reducing both deforestation and land degradation. It is also done by improving the capacity of forests to act as carbon sinks and the fourth way is by replacing forest products.

Increasing forest acreage is done through afforestation, reforestation or natural regeneration.

All three are important and suited to different purposes and areas.

 

Afforestation is the planting of whole new forests where none have been in existence over a period of half a century. Afforestation requires care, because tree species used must be local and indigenous to the area so as not to harm biodiversity. They also must matched to the existing soil type in the area.

Reforestation is the replanting of degraded and deforested areas which were formerly covered by natural forests. This is what is usually encouraged by tree planting campaigns.

Natural regeneration is simply providing conducive conditions for forests to grow back.  Naturally regenerated forests can store away 70 billion tons of carbon dioxide which add up to seven years’ worth of emissions by industries.

Plantation forests for the supply of forest products like wood and fuel sequester carbon but have other drawbacks. They do not support biodiversity and deplete water sources. Plantation trees are grown for commercial purposes rather than environmental services; they do not take into account the indigenous species that suit a region or the role they played in a given ecosystem. They also could be (mis)used to replace acreage taken up by natural forests, which is a disservice to natural ecosystems and the environment.

An example of this is palm oil plantations.

Young forests sequester a lot of carbon because they are growing while mature or intact forests contain huge stores of already captured carbon. Both should be protected.

Indigenous knowledge has been used for centuries to conserve and manage forests. This is true especially for local communities and forest dwelling peoples. These communities have applied these time tried and tested traditions to earn a livelihood and source products and services from forests without depleting them. This knowledge is passed on from generation to generation in several ways, primarily through oral literature.

As such, these communities have a rich repertoire of important and rare ways of conserving forests- knowledge that should be intermixed with modern scientific research in an effort to conserve forests.

An example of this is shifting cultivation and agroforestry.

Partnerships between different stakeholders are important to enhance the role of forests in reducing climate change and protecting against the worst impacts thereof. This includes all levels government, international organizations, faith based groups and civil society but most importantly local communities.

Likewise public education and participation on the importance of forest protection is important. This can happen in formal and informal settings; from schools, village barazas to social media and research journals.

The right regulatory framework- laws and policies- are instrumental in cementing the role of forests in fighting against climate change.

Carbon markets for the climate amelioration services of forests offer an important financial incentive especially to countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Making sure that these communities benefit from protecting the integrity and ecosystem services of forests in their domain is only fair. It also offers them a way to earn a livelihood that does not involve the active exploitation of forests.

The Bonn Challenge is aiming to bring 350 hectares of land under forests by 2030, a goal which needs to be amplified.

During COP26 in Glasgow, 141 countries who together account for 90% percent of global forests decided to halt and reverse forest loss and degradation by 2030. This was reinforced by recognition of land rights and financial commitments towards the cause to the tune of $19 billion.

One of the emission trading schemes that aims to protect forests is the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+).