World-leading experts will present up-to-date scientific information and guidance for societal, climate and ecological benefits of natural and managed boreal forests. The webinar will be a dialogue between researchers and policymakers, to address gaps in knowledge and societal actions, for the immediate and long-term future. Video from the webinar can now be watched.
The debate over the role of forests in mitigating climate change is growing heated, both in the scientific community and the policy realm. Contributing to the debate are policies for increasing biomass use for energy and the establishment of the concept of “natural climate solutions” (NCS).
Boreal forests serve as carbon sinks, taking up on the order of 1-2 billion tons of carbon annually. As tropical forests weaken as carbon sinks, the world will increasingly rely on a steady uptake in boreal forests, but can they deliver such ecosystem services? Today’s forest management and conservation choices will have immediate impacts on the atmosphere, and influence the preservation of healthy ecosystems for the future.
The Environment and Energy Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Future Earth welcome you to an open two-day scientific webinar on boreal forests and climate change with experts from around the world, linking research on different scales and areas of knowledge.
Invited speakers will discuss the European and Nordic contexts of boreal forests, climate, and their management, while touching on Russian and Canadian forests. The goal is to provide an overview of what current research shows, identify gaps in understanding boreal forests as carbon sinks and their resilience towards future disturbances, and inform ongoing debates about forests and forestry, from local to global scales. The first day will be focused on nature-based solutions and the second day on the best management practices for forestry, for the benefit of climate, ecosystems and society.
Join the discussion on a variety of key questions, including:
- the main factors for carbon uptake and storage in boreal forests;
- best estimates for the current boreal forest carbon sink and how to increase it;
- the importance of biodiversity and soil organisms for carbon uptake and boreal forests’ health;
- and whether forestry products can actually substitute for fossil fuel products from a climate change perspective.
Agenda, Day 1, 20 May 2021
Host for Day 1: Erik Pihl, Future Earth Sweden
09:30
Welcome remarks
Dan Larhammar, President of The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Wendy Broadgate, Global Hub Director, Future Earth Sweden
09:35
Introduction: Boreal forests, the climate, and much more
Markku Rummukainen, Lund University
10.00-11:00
Session 1: Boreal forests and the land sink, global outlook
Moderator: Anders Ahlström, Lund University, Sweden
Boreal forests play a key role in Earth’s carbon cycle
Philippe Ciais, Climate and Environment Sciences Laboratory, France
Natural versus anthropogenic fluxes and the overall effects of land use on climate
Julia Pongratz, LMU Munich, Germany
Importance of biodiversity in boreal forests
Ernst-Detlef Schulze, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Germany
Q&A with all three speakers in panel
11:00
Short break
11:10- 12:10
Session 2: Carbon stocks and changes in natural and managed boreal forests
Moderator: Ana Bastos, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Germany
Carbon balances in old-growth Swedish forests
Anders Ahlström, Lund University, Sweden
Soil carbon balances in Swedish forests
Erik Karltun, SLU, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
Natural carbon pools – LULUCF accounting and the EU climate policy
Magnus Nilsson, Independent consultant, Sweden
Q&A with all three speakers in panel
12:10-14:00
Lunch break
14:00-15:20
Session 3: Future climate feedback and disturbance to boreal forests
Moderator: Julia Pongratz, LMU Munich, Germany
How will disturbance impact the future boreal carbon sink? Current trends and future uncertainties
Anna T. Trugman, Trugman Lab, UC Santa Barbara, USA
Future threats to boreal forests from compound extreme events and disturbances
Ana Bastos, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Germany
Long-term dynamics of forest fires in Nordic countries
Igor Drobyshev, SLU, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
Increasing wildfire and the carbon balance of boreal forests
Michelle Mack, Northern Arizona University, USA
Q&A with all four speakers in panel
15:20
Short break
15:30-16:30
Session 4: What can “natural climate solutions” (NCS) in boreal forests provide and under what conditions?
Moderator: Benjamin Poulter, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, USA.
Can boreal forests contribute to net-zero emission pathways
Werner Kurz, Natural Resources Canada, Canada
Potential for Natural Climate Solutions in the forests of Canada
Ronnie Drever, Nature United, The Nature Conservancy, Canada
Estimating boreal forest carbon from space shows the potentials for increasing uptake and storage
Christopher S.R. Neigh, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, USA
Q&A with all three speakers in panel
16:30-17:00
Ending session – conclusions of the day
Panel: Philippe Ciais, Climate and Environment Sciences Laboratory, France, Julia Pongratz, LMU Munich, Germany, Ernst-Detlef Schulze, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Germany
Agenda, Day 2, 21 May 2021
Host for Day 2: Lars Bergström, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
09:00
Introduction
Lars Bergström, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Erik Pihl, Future Earth Sweden
09:05-10:20
Session 5: What are the future expectations on forest materials and energy, and what are the potentials given ecological constraints?
Moderator: Anders Wijkman, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Demand for biomass on the increase
Ebba Willerström-Ehrning, Fossil Free Sweden, Sweden
The future we want – the forest we need
Tomas Lundmark, SLU, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
What Possible Futures Will We Get?
Sten Nilsson, Forest Sector Insights, Sweden
Q&A session with all speakers
10:20
Short break
10:30-11:50
Session 6: Carbon reduction potential of forest products
Moderator: Anders Wijkman, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Forest products in the transition towards climate targets
Göran Berndes, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Forest bioenergy and carbon accounting
Giacomo Grassi, Joint Research Centre (JRC) at European Commission (EC)
Does wood harvesting help in climate change mitigation?
Sampo Soimakallio, Finnish Environment Institute, Finland
Optimising the value of forests to humanity- a challenge for science and policy
Mike Norton, European Academies’ Science Advisory Council
Q&A session with all speakers
12:00-13:00
Lunch break
13:00-14:15
Session 7: Weighing different forest management systems from the perspectives of climate, ecology and societal benefits
Moderator: Anders Lindroth, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Measuring the total benefit of different silvicultural systems
Timo Pukkala, University of Eastern Finland, Finland
Adding climate goals to boreal silviculture – is rotation forestry up to the challenge?
Rolf Björheden, Skogforsk (Forest Research), Sweden
Forest multi-functionality: hand in glove with forest management diversity
Giuliana Zanchi, Lund University, Sweden
Q&A session with all speakers
14:15
Short break
14:25-15:30
Ending session – conclusions of both days
Moderator: Anders Wijkman, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Panel: Erik Eriksson, Formas, Sweden, Jytte Guteland, European Parliament, Rebecka Le Moine, Miljöpartiet, Sweden, Stefan Nyström, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Sweden, Kristina Yngwe, Riksdagens Miljö- och Jordbruksutskott, Sweden.
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