1. Unprecedented pluri-decennial increase in the growing stock of French forests is persistent and dominated by private broadleaved forests
- Author
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Jean-Christophe Hervé, Anaïs Denardou, Jean-Luc Dupouey, Jean Bir, Jean-Daniel Bontemps, SILVA (SILVA), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université de Lorraine (UL)-AgroParisTech, Institut National de l'Information Géographique et Forestière [IGN] (IGN), Laboratoire d'Inventaire Forestier (LIF), École nationale des sciences géographiques (ENSG), Institut National de l'Information Géographique et Forestière [IGN] (IGN)-Université Gustave Eiffel-Institut National de l'Information Géographique et Forestière [IGN] (IGN)-Université Gustave Eiffel, AgroParisTech-Université de Lorraine (UL)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME)Region Grand-Est, ANR-11-LABX-0002,ARBRE,Recherches Avancées sur l'Arbre et les Ecosytèmes Forestiers(2011), French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), and Region Grand-Est
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,[SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes ,Forest management ,National forest inventory ,Area ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,[SDV.EE.ECO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology, environment/Ecosystems ,[SDV.SA.SF]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences/Silviculture, forestry ,Carbon stock ,Forest expansion ,ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS ,Stock (geology) ,Ecology ,Advanced stage ,Forestry ,15. Life on land ,Forest transition ,[SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society ,Geography ,[SDE]Environmental Sciences ,[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology ,Returning forests ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
International audience; & Key message French forests exhibit the fastest relative changes across Europe. Growing stock increases faster than area,and is greatest in low-stocked private broadleaved forests. Past areal increases and current GS levels show positive effectson GS expansion, with GS increases hence expected to persist.& Context Strong increases in growing stocks (GS) of European forests for decades remain poorly understood and of unknownduration. French forests showing the greatest relative changes across Europe form the investigated case study.& Aims The magnitudes of net area, GS, and GS density (GSD) changes were evaluated across forest categories reflecting forestpolicy and land-use drivers. The roles of forest areal changes, GS and GSD levels on GS changes were investigated.& Methods National Forest Inventory data were used to produce time series of area, GS and GSD across forest categories over1976–2014, and exploratory causal models of GS changes.& Results GS (+ 57%) increased three times faster than area, highlighting an advanced stage in the forest transition. Low-stockedprivate forests exhibited strong changes in GS/GSD, greatest in private broadleaved forests, stressing the contribution of returningforests on abandoned lands. Regression models demonstrated positive effects of both past areal increases and current GS, on GSexpansion.& Conclusion Aerial C-sink in French forests is expected to persist in future decades.
- Published
- 2020
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