• Zur Hauptnavigation springen
  • Skip to main content
  • Zur Fußzeile springen

Naturwald Akademie

Forschung aus Liebe zum Wald

  • DE
  • Contact
  • About
  • Studies
  • Forestry
  • Summer school
Lesedauer ca. 2 Minuten
Start Studies Forests protect plants and animals from climate warming

Forests protect plants and animals from global warming

The leaf canopy of the forests functions worldwide as an insulating layer. This protects the organisms living under it from the effects of global warming. On average, the maximum temperatures in the forest are 4°C lower than in the open.  This shows how important the buffer effect of forests can be for climate change.

  • Auf Facebook teilen
  • Auf Twitter teilen
  • Per E-Mail teilen

The cool freshness on hot summer days when walking in the forest is not only a subjective impression. Researchers from Europe and the USA have for the first time documented the temperature difference inside and outside forests with tangible measurements. The data show that the maximum temperature in forests worldwide is on average 4°C lower than outside forests.

Leaf canopy is effective heat protection

“Trees with their leaves and branches form a heat-insulating layer above the forest,” explains Florian Zellweger of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Switzerland. “That’s why the maximum summer temperatures in the forest are much lower than outdoors – 4 degrees on average. In winter and at night this pattern reverses and forest temperatures are on average 1 degree warmer.”

The canopy of leaves thus significantly reduces summer heat waves. “Plants and animals in the forest are therefore less exposed to the current warming trend than species that do not live in the forest,” says Zellweger. “Since forests cover a quarter of the earth’s surface and are home to two thirds of all biodiversity, this makes a big difference in predicting how climate change will affect natural diversity.

The measurements come from 98 sites on five continents – in the tropics, in the temperate zone and in the northern boreal forests.

Forests are good buffers

For the first time, the researchers are also showing that rising temperatures also increase the buffer capacity of global forests: The maximum air temperatures in the forest are likely to be lower than previously assumed. “Even if the temperatures outside the forests continue to rise, the temperatures inside the forests do not necessarily follow this trend,” says Zellweger. Temperatures in the forest and in the open will then diverge further.

This buffer effect emphasises the need to preserve existing deciduous forests and to strengthen near-natural reforestation so that both forest creatures and those in the vicinity can benefit from the cooling effects.

Source

Global buffering of temperatures under forest canopies, Pieter De Frenne, Florian Zellweger et al. Nature Ecology & Evolution (2019) ; doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-0842-1

 

 

This might also be of interest to you

Students and young professionals: Meet the experts in Natural Forestry and Ecology. At the European Natural Forest School, experts in forestry and forest conservation from institutions across Europe will gather to share their knowledge, skills and experience.
Studies
24. 01. 2022

Join our annual summer school in Natural Forestry and Ecology

Lesedauer ca. < 1 Minute Students and young professionals: Meet the experts in Natural Forestry and Ecology. At the European Natural Forest School, experts in forestry and forest conservation from institutions across Europe will gather to share their knowledge, skills and experience.

Read more
Wald in China
Studies
21. 12. 2021

Quality over quantity – primeval forests store carbon in the soil sustainably

Lesedauer ca. 3 Minuten Study: How does leaf litter affect soil organic carbon? Currently, there is an assumption that higher litter fall also implies higher soil carbon. Incorrectly, litter quality is rarely taken into account.

Read more
A study shows that the forest ecosystem shapes its environment, such as the microclimate or soil properties, to a greater extent than previously assumed. By influencing the environmental factors, the forest community as a whole is strengthened at the same time.
Studies
7. 07. 2021

How the forest ecosystem shapes its abiotic conditions and thereby itself

Lesedauer ca. 3 Minuten A study shows that the forest ecosystem shapes its environment, such as the microclimate or soil properties, to a greater extent than previously assumed. By influencing the environmental factors, the forest community as a whole is strengthened at the same time.

Read more

Footer

Contact us

Science and Research

Naturwald Akademie gGmbH
Alt Lauerhof 1
D-23568 Lübeck
Tel. + 49 (0)451 69 39 80 56
luebeck@naturwald-akademie.org

Management and Public Relations

Naturwald Akademie gGmbH
Bleibtreustraße 17
D-10623 Berlin
Tel. +49 (0)30 88 91 70 88
berlin@naturwald-akademie.org

Naturwald Akademie is a non-profit limited company, registered in Berlin, Germany. The tax office for corporations I Berlin certified the Naturwald Akademie’s non-profit status on 25.05.2016. We can issue a donation receipts for donations. Donations are usually tax deductible in Germany.

Imprint | Privacy policy

MENU
  • Forschung
    • Unsere Projekte
    • Waldmonitor
    • Internationale Studien
    • Summer School
    • Naturwald Preis für Studierende
    • Projekte mit Schulen
    • Naturschutz
    • Klimawandel
    • Biodiversität
    • Gesundheit
    • Waldwirtschaft
  • Waldbau
    • Ökologischer Waldbau
    • Orientierungskarte für den Waldumbau
    • Liste der Waldtypen
    • Waldschadensmonitor
    • Förderungen
  • Waldwissen
    • WaldLeben
    • WaldVerstehen
    • WaldDiskurs
    • WaldWasser
    • WaldPortraits
    • WaldPersönlichkeiten
    • WaldGesundheit
    • WaldInitiative
    • Lesetipps
    • Videos
    • News
    • Unsere Publikationen
    • Waldschäden melden
    • Waldlexikon
  • Spenden
  • Wir
    • Ziele der Akademie
    • Methoden
    • Satzung
    • Aktuelle Positionen
    • Das Team
    • Unser Beirat
    • Kontakt
  • Presse
    • Pressemitteilungen
    • Publikationen
    • Bildmaterial
      • Grafiken
      • Menschen
      • Wald und Bäume
      • Tiere
      • Forschung
  • Newsletter
  • Fragen
  • Leichte Sprache
  • Impressum
  • zu waldreport.de
  • EN
  • About
  • Studies
  • Forestry
  • Summer school
  • Contact
  • Privacy policy
  • Imprint
  • DE