A review of the influence of climate change on coniferous forests in the Balkan peninsula

Abstract

Evidence of climate change and global warming is becoming more visible; it is an ongoing process that is likely to become increasingly influential in the near future, not only at the global level but also at the local and regional levels. The fact that climate change affects the development of all forest communities and forest tree species, accordingly, has resulted in the increasing awareness in society towards this phenomenon. Having this in mind, the main aim of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between climate change and coniferous forests in the Balkan Peninsula, as well as to review the management strategies that may contribute to forest adaptation to climate change, with a special emphasis on the conservation of forest genetic resources. Hence, we have analyzed 202 papers regarding climate change and its effects on coniferous forests in the Balkan region, as well as papers dealing with adaptive forest management and forest genetic resources conservation. We concluded that climate change will likely represent one of the major challenges for coniferous forests on the Balkan peninsula in the future, imposing a need for the application of different management strategies to address these challenges and to facilitate adaptation of forests to the altered environmental conditions.

The Genus Heterogynis Rambur, 1866 (Heterogynidae, Lepidoptera): Congruence of Molecular, Morphological and Morphometric Evidence Reveal New Species in Serbia

“…Many examples of insect species have altered their ranges and/or evolved as a response to repeated isolation during glacial-interglacial cycles across the Balkan Peninsula [42][43][44][45]. Similar studies on biodiversity in protected areas in Serbia indicate dynamic changes in species distribution due to climate change [46][47][48]. Some of these changes occur faster than we are able to record them, and some protected areas remain understudied and may harbour undiscovered species.…”

Quantifying Forest Cover Loss as a Response to Drought and Dieback of Norway Spruce and Evaluating Sensitivity of Various Vegetation Indices Using Remote Sensing

“…Regarding the deforested areas, support should be provided through tree planting. As Tanovski et al [125] proposed, this should involve using reproductive material of known origin with adaptive properties suitable for the environmental conditions of the regeneration site.…”

Evaluation of Different Geographic Provenances of Silver Fir (Abies alba) as Seed Sources, Based on Seed Traits and Germination

“…Multivariate analysis, including PCA, dendrograms, and correlations between variables, provide valuable information regarding the identification of viable seed sources and are fruitful [85] for the silver fir propagation and regeneration desideratum. The close correlations identified between some morphological elements of the seeds and germination can be effectively used in silver fir growth as indirect selection indices, or in the forestry practice of producing valuable biological material for afforestation and reforestation [86,87]. PCA and hierarchical clustering data provide information about the possibility of identifying the most valuable seed sources among those evaluated, as well as models for further investigations.…”