Global warming and forests: an overview of current knowledge

Summarizes what the forest -, climate research-, and policy-communities currently know about global warming. Greenhouse gases, namely CO{sub 2} (carbon dioxide), CH{sub 4} (methane), N{sub 2}O (nitrous oxide), CO (carbon monoxide), and H{sub 2}O (water vapour) are listed indicating their sources, residence times and potential to contribute to global warming. On the basis of general circulation models (three-dimensional models of atmospheric, oceanic and terrestrial interactions predict global climate change under a scenario of doubled atmospheric concentrations of CO{sub 2}), possible changes in climate owing to large increases in greenhouse gas concentrations are summarized. The potential impact of changes in temperature and precipitation in a scenario of doubled CO{sub 2} spans a wide range of effects such as forest range shift, changes in productivity of forests, and changes in individual tree physiology and growth. Suggests mitigation strategies in forestry sector which are grouped into three classes: those that reduce sources of greenhouse gases, those that maintain existing sinks of greenhouse gases, and those that expand sinks of greenhouse gases. 3 figs., 1 tab., 29 refs.