A largely overlooked and neglected forest type has significant potential for restoration, improving species diversity and the ability to withstand climate change, according to an international group of forest scientists. According to new research published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal PLOS ONESufficient habitat exists for Eurasian aspen, and as the global climate warms, these habitats will continue to be suitable for this “keystone species.”
“Worldwide, Eurasian poplar and aspen species host large populations of other dependent plants and animals,” said study lead author Antonin Kusbach, an applied ecologist at Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic, also known as the Czech Republic. where team research takes place. “Furthermore, aspen systems rapidly regenerate and colonize new areas, making such forests ideally suited to increased forest disturbances such as fire, disease, insect infestation, and storms commonly expected under climate warming scenarios.”
Scientists surveyed more than four million acres of forest using field measurements, remote sensing technology and advanced analytical methods to better understand the historical and potential habitat of aspen, which has been called a “realized niche” in the similar forest landscape of the Czech Republic. In the creation of forests in Central Europe. Aspen forests were once much more common in these regions, but commercial forestry, which generally favors monotypic stands of desirable conifer species, has altered these habitats. It doesn’t have to stay this way.
“Regulations in forest management in Europe could help restore these magnificent forests,” said co-author Paul Rogers, of the Western Aspen Alliance, the Center for Ecology, and the Department of Environment and Society at the University of Utah. “For every hectare of aspen forest that returns, a variety of plants and animals will thrive.”
Eurasian aspen, Populus tremula, is one of six species of aspen in the genus Populus, which covers much of the Northern Hemisphere. Together, these species create enormous biodiversity compared to the surrounding forests. Eurasian poplar covers all of Europe and Asia. Trembling aspen Populus tremuloides is the most common tree in North America, also known as a keystone species that supports biodiversity even in the face of climate change.
“In North America it is sometimes said that you can walk from coast to coast and never leave the aspen shade,” Rogers said. “This may not be true, but it speaks to the resilience and adaptability of these forests. We are now beginning to better understand the huge potential that poplar has to thrive in Europe.”
While restoring aspen across tens of millions of hectares of potential habitat across Europe is clearly challenging, it may take little more than a “nudge” to get the process started.
“My personal field observations suggest that aspen naturally found its way into Central European forests after large-scale removal of Norway spruce following a bark beetle outbreak,” Kusbach said. said. “So this could be considered a solution hiding in plain sight.”
Source: Port Altele
