Above all, it is important to stress that the priority in the fight against climate change must consist in substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, this measure is insufficient to achieve the targets set for 2030.
To this end, experts recognize that the forest is part of the solutions to capture and store carbon in vegetation, soils and products. In addition, the forest is also affected by climate change, moreover, it is already weakened by the impoverishment of biodiversity and other services provided by nature. To cope with the threat of irreversible damage, it is generally necessary to thoroughly review the forest management model. Locally, an integrated approach to both control and adaptation must be deployed using a variety of solutions, including those based on nature.
The use of forest planting to capture carbon is proving appropriate, especially for afforestation of abandoned non-forest land among wasteland, mine sites and logging roads as well as in urban areas. Restoring the naturalness of the environment with diversified species would promote greater forest resilience in the face of multiple uncertainties.
However, cutting more wood from natural forests for subsequent reforestation is a conversion that would not contribute to the achievement of the 2030 targets. Indeed, the emission produced by the harvest constitutes a “carbon debt” which will be repaid by the growth of trees over a much higher horizon.
Also, forest plantation, from seedling production to harvest, proves to be costly, risky and of uncertain profitability, in particular due to an investment over a very long-term horizon compared to leaving nature performs its functions, often more efficiently. Operations should be carefully planned, regularly monitored and adjusted accordingly.
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The restoration and conservation of the forest environment, including mature forests and wetlands, also represent natural solutions within reach. A conservation scenario may therefore prove to be more interesting in the short term in certain situations.
A recent study on natural solutions for the climate shows that better forest management could ensure an annual contribution of around 3 million tonnes of CO equivalent.2 in 2013 and thus participate in approximately 10% of the reduction commitment by Quebec.
The measures include an increase in conservation effort, better regeneration after cutting, greater use of longer-lived forest products and the substitution of energy-intensive products such as concrete and steel. The residual biomass after cutting to produce energy is also to be considered when it replaces fossil fuels.
In the past, the forest was managed on a relatively stable basis in terms of climate and soils. In the age of climate change, this no longer holds. Thus, it is predicted that the climate could “migrate” northwards at a speed of more than 10 kilometers per year. This generates a lot of uncertainties about the evolution and future state of forests. For example, an increase in temperature could promote forest growth, but greater drought and the impact of natural disturbances could instead translate into a negative balance.
As we can see, climate change is already causing a greater recurrence of forest fires, increased insect infestation and invasion by exotic species.
In order to face the very real threat of irreversible damage with catastrophic consequences, we must thoroughly review the forest management model, inherited from the last century. However, it must be recognized that substantial progress has been made in recent years, such as the deployment of ecosystem management, aimed at reducing the gaps between managed forests and natural forests.
The notion of “diversity”, a fundamental notion for resilience in the face of uncertainties, should be applied more widely. This is not only biological diversity but also that of a global and inclusive vision for the development and conservation of all the resources and other services provided by the forest environment.
In this regard, there is no shortage of interest in nature-based climate solutions, whether for protecting habitats, improving forestry practices or restoring vegetation. By reducing the degradation and loss of ecosystems, these solutions simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help both communities and ecosystems become more resilient.
Finally, it will be vital to act in a participatory manner, in full transparency and to report on the results. Vigilance will also be necessary to ensure an inclusive treatment of the information and the assumptions made. Researchers are at work and science is advancing. Faced with the urgent need to act, all of this must be accentuated in order to enlighten decision-makers.
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