What is a possible response of forest biomass to changes in Eurasian air temperature and precipitation? A special case for the genus Betula spp

Abstract

Abstract Forest ecosystems, as sinks of atmospheric carbon, play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas release and preventing air temperatures from rising. Simultaneously, climate change entails changes in forest cover. We describe the change of Betula spp. stand biomass (tha-1) along the trans-Eurasian gradients of rainfall and temperature using the harvest data from 650 forest stands and climate data. Birch stand biomass increased with growing rainfall within the evaluated range from 200 to 800 mm per year, as well as with increasing the mean winter temperature from -40°C to + 10°C regardless of the rainfall level. The comparison of our results for birches with analogous results for coniferous species shows that forest responses to changes in climate indices are species-specific.