ABSTRACT
The adaptation of trees to climate change is very important in the context of the occurrence of extreme weather conditions. Periodic or permanent threats to forests caused by a number of abiotic, biotic and anthropogenic factors affect the tree growth both directly and indirectly by reducing photosynthesis and increasing the susceptibility to insect and pathogenic infections. Forests play an important role in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions and they store some of the largest carbon stocks compared to other terrestrial ecosystems. The carbon stocks are decreasing globally as a result of a reduction in the size of forests; however, the carbon stock per hectare remained practically stable in the period from 1990 to 2010. According to these estimates, the world’s forests are therefore a net source of emissions due to a decrease in the total forest area. The data availability and quality have improved since FRA 2005, but the reasons for concern still remain.
