Siberian Federal University: Scientists from Yenisey Siberia REC Сo-authored Book on Boreal Forests of Northern Hemisphere
Scientists from the Yenisey Siberia Research and Education Center, supervised by Vladimir Shishov, director of the School of Fundamental Biology and Biotechnology, SibFU, co-authored a book dedicated to boreal forests in the era of global climate change.
The team of authors of the book Boreal Forests in the Face of Climate Change — Sustainable Management includes 148 researchers from 20 countries. Exploring a new conceptual framework for the sustainable management of boreal forests in light of global climate change, the scientists highlight that boreal ecosystems are the second largest forest terrestrial biome on Earth. They form a belt with an area of 14 million km2, which is about 25% of the total forest area of the Earth. Two-thirds of this forest biome provides 37% of the world’s timber production. These same forests provide irreplaceable resources and ecosystem services that humanity needs.
The currently observed climate change affects the distribution of species, the regimes of natural disturbances, the structure and functioning of forest ecosystems, especially in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Since the sustainable management of boreal forests is the main goal of the international community, there is an urgent need to develop new approaches and methods for effective strategies for adapting boreal ecosystems to a rapidly changing climate.
“It has taken us 4 years to prepare this book for publication, and we have passed numerous independent examinations of the global scientific community. Supported by Yenisey Siberia research and educational centre, our scientific group wrote the chapter Experimental and Theoretical Analysis of Tree-Ring Growth in Cold Climates, based on the dendrochronological approach to the study of climate changes, and decoding of data in tree rings at the cellular anatomical level, with subsequent extrapolation of the results to the vast territories of Russia and China, the USA, Canada, Western Europe,” noted Vladimir Shishov.
The book discusses direct and simulated scientific experiments and observations across the boreal belt of the Northern Hemisphere, analyses the latest carbon cycle assessments in a changing climate, and makes recommendations for the sustainable management of boreal forests. The authors have intended to emphasize the crucial importance of boreal ecosystems in the context of global change due to the key role of these forests in a number of natural processes, including carbon sequestration, the carbon cycle, and the maintenance of biodiversity. The scientist noted that the book will become an indispensable tool for researchers, students, practitioners, and experts involved in forest management. In addition, this work will become a basement for creating new areas of research, as well as forest management plans, considering existing and predicted climatic realities.