We use cookies on our website. Some are necessary for the operation of the website. You can also allow cookies for statistical purposes. You can adjust the data protection settings or agree to all cookies directly.
Data Protection Declaration
Imprint
Site factor water budget in the context of climate change
Project
Project code: 28WK414104
Contract period: 01.01.2019
- 31.12.2021
Budget: 109,700 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
Keywords: climate (climate relevance, climate protection, climate change), spruce, water (water protection, water supply system), forest conversion, oak, silviculture, beech, mixed forest
The project aims at reinforcing the forest water budget as classified by experts in the field using deterministic water budget models. Focus within the project is on a realistic and dynamic - with respect to climate change - water budget modelling with a high spatial resolution. The resulting indicators for drought stress or water logging stress will be presented in site maps. These maps can be used to evaluate the cultivation suitability of important tree species now and in a warmer future. They serve as a base for low-risk forestry. The evaluation of the water budget should take different aspect into account: • The average water budget at a site allows assessing the growth potential of a given tree species. Interactions between climate and nutrient supply must be taken into account. • Short-term shortage of water availability (drought) leads to drought stress and is a risk factor. Consequences are defoliation, reduced vitality, increased mortality and a temporarily reduced growth. Climate change is expected to increase frequency and intensity of drought events and therefore must be considered through climate sensitive water budget modelling. • Water logging leads to oxygen deficiency in the root zone. It reduced the rooting intensity and therefore increases susceptibility of stands to wind throw and drought. The following steps are needed for a climate sensitive description of the water budget: • Test and selection of an appropriate water budget model and/ or modelling framework • Site and tree species specific parameterization of a water budget model shared by all partners (e. g. LWF-Brook90). Validation and calibration of model runs with the help of measurements from the forest monitoring program. Special emphasis is on groundwater and water logged soils • Development of an alternative user interface of the used water budget model within the software R in order to enhance processing time via an automated creation of input files • Update of the climate data developed within the WKF-funded project WP-KS-KW and development of climate projections with different methods of regionalization • Identification and testing of indices for the water budget and aeration in the root zone • Combining site maps or site information from geoinformation systems, digital elevation models and regional climate data for the modelling of a site specific water budget • Mapping of indices for the water budget and aeration in the root zone for the most important tree species in Germany (spruce, pine, beech, oak, important mixtures) for larger test regions in the federal states of the project partners. Maps are drawn for different site classification systems for the present climate and climate scenarios • Discussion of project outcomes with site classification experts and forest practitioners in order to validate approach and outcome • Publishing of results and dissemination of the methods for the general public and federal states that do not participate in the project
Section overview
Subjects
- Forestry
- Resource management
- Climate Change
