Climate change will hit beech forests hard

The future of beech in Europe does not look bright. It will be severely affected by climate change, according to a new study by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). Between 2004 and 2005, two research teams published two major studies on the future of beech. One predicted a bleak future for this species due to climate change. The other warned against alarmism and assured beech of its great capacity to adapt. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Scientists at the WSL Institute examined both studies in the light of new data. Twenty years on, they conclude that the gloomy predictions are likely to come true. "The predominance of beech and the amount of land it occupies will be reduced, not only on marginal sites where conditions are already no longer optimal, but also in large parts of its Central European range," explains Arthur Gessler, WSL researcher and lead author of the new study. In particular, the species will suffer ...