Trees for the future with "Baccara" project

20/02/2012

Though they have survived fires, insect outbreaks and logging, the forests of Europe may now face their biggest challenge ever: climate change. Disrupted weather patterns could intensify droughts, fires, storms, pest infestations, species loss, and other natural calamities harmful or even fatal to forests.

Rather than wait until Europe’s forests begin to die off, the European Union is taking steps to prevent such a catastrophe. The Eu is supporting leading-edge research to help forest managers decide what kind of trees they should plant now, and what kind of pests and diseases should be monitored today so they won’t become a problem in a climate-changed future.

Launched in 2009 with three million euros in support from the Eu, “Baccara” (www.baccara-project.eu) is a four-year project that is working to assess how climate change will affect the biodiversity and productivity of Europe’s forests. “Baccara” is one of many joint efforts being undertaken during the “Year of the Forests,” which the United Nations declared for 2011 in order to help conserve the biodiversity of forests and sustainably manage the world’s forestlands.

To remove some of the guesswork from managing Europe’s forests, “Baccara”’s researchers are trying to predict how certain kinds of trees will fare in terms of growth and pest-resistance in the decades and centuries to come.