CaC
Title of the Research Project:
Effects of Global Warming on Productivity Trends in Central Asian Forests: Status and Implications for Forest Management
Main Goals of the Research Project:
- Regional classification of forests in terms of climate vulnerability
- Assessment of the spatial variability of forest productivity, forest vitality and regeneration potential
- Determination of variation in tree vulnerability to drought (risk of xylem embolism) for different regions and tree species.
Short Description of the Research Project
As a result of global climate warming, many forests in Central Asia now show signs of reduced productivity, increased tree mortality and reduced regeneration. Increased mortality, when accompanied by reduced regeneration, threatens the persistence of forest lands and may thus prevent forests from continuing to provide ecosystem services. The general objective of the research project is to provide a map of a substantial part of Central Asia’s forest regions, along with a classification of potentials for wood formation and forest regeneration and of the risk of climate warming–induced tree mortality. The region to be studied covers a 2,500 km stretch in eastern Central Asia, from Kyrgyzstan and eastern Kazakhstan to western and central Mongolia.