Increasing the broad-leaved tree fraction in European forests mitigates hot temperature extremes.

ABSTRACT: Forests influence climate through a myriad of chemical, physical and biological processes and are an essential lever in the efforts to counter climate change. The majority of studies investigating potential climate benefits from forests have focused on forest area changes, while changes to forest management, in particular those affecting species composition, have received much less attention. Using a statistical model based on remote sensing observations over Europe, we show that broad-leaved tree species locally reduce land surface temperatures in summer compared to needle-leaved species. The summer mean cooling effect related to an increase in broad-leaved tree fraction of 80% is relatively modest (~ 0.3-0.75 K), but is amplified during exceptionally warm periods. The reduction of daily

SUBMITTER: Schwaab J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7447805 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature