Environment & climate


Future climate change could see beech forests expand further north in southeast Norway at the expense of spruce forests. A project based at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences is now investigating the physiology, ecology and historical distributions of both tree species and the ecosystems they inhabit in order to gain a better understanding of how far the beech forests may extend in the future


number of studies — descriptive, retrospective and experimental — that will give us better knowledge about this topic. We want to know more about the historical distribution of


the trees as well as the


ecological interplay between the two species in the present day.” Understanding the impact of the dominant


tree species on their ecosystem is important in regards to understanding future climate. Some previous studies have suggested that coniferous


forests are able to sequester more CO2 than broadleaf forests, but more


data is needed. Part of the project is thus looking to measure how spruce and beech trees affect decomposition and therefore carbon storage below ground. This is done through experiments that manipulate the environment, for example growing seedlings of each species in the other’s soil and seeing how successfully they grow and how they affect the composition of the soil.


“We want to know more about the historical


From spruce to beech


Through southeast Norway runs a boundary between northerly coniferous spruce forests and southerly deciduous beech forests. Projections on future climate change based on the HadCM3 climate model predict that this boundary will move north over the coming years, with beech trees replacing spruce as conditions change favourably for them. The spruce today represents an


economically important tree species to Norwegian forestry, with beech wood regarded as less versatile and useful, so advancing beech forests could have a


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negative impact on this industry in the future. A change in the dominant species of


tree will also likely lead to further


transformation of the ecosystem, with profound changes occurring at all levels down to the microscopic decomposers in the soil. An international group of researchers


from various backgrounds is now looking to answer the question: how will climate change and other stress factor interact to transform spruce forest ecosystems to beech forest ecosystems in the future? Line Nybakken explains: “We have started a


distribution of the trees as well as the ecological interplay between the two species in the present day”


Physiological studies involve seeing how


far north beech trees can realistically survive, by testing traits such as their ability to tolerate frost. “These kinds of studies have been done extensively in middle Europe but never at the northern distribution limit,” says Nybakken. “We may find that the trees behave quite differently when presented with the conditions at


this latitude.” Tests on frost


hardiness of dormant buds so far have shown that during the winter months they can withstand temperatures down to -20°C, which would allow them to potentially


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