Mapping megatrends shaping European forests
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12949856 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jakob Langenbacher (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, corresponding author), Alex Levering (0000-0002-9821-7990, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Peter H Verburg (0000-0002-6977-7104, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 21-38 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-09 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sustainability Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1862-4057 • E-ISSN: 1862-4065 |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11625-025-01747-y |
| OpenAlex | W4414994445 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 90 |
European forests are changing rapidly due to environmental pressures and human actions, making it essential to understand the drivers and their potential impacts for informing management and policy. We quantify and map six megatrends affecting European forests: (1) climate change, (2) fire, (3) pests and pathogens, (4) forest cover and felling intensity change, (5) harvesting, and (6) pollution and nutrient enrichment. Our mapping indicates that megatrends act heterogeneously across Europe. Hotspots of negative trends are found in the Nordic and mountainous regions. These correspond to the megatrend combination clusters: (1) the warming North with an intensified felling trend and (2) the bark beetle-affected temperate Europe. The maps show that business as usual is unlikely for most European forests, and the diverse archetypical megatrend combinations highlight the need for region-specific management. Our mapping helps prioritize interventions and tailor adaptation strategies to the combination of pressures
Climate change · Felling · Forest cover · Landscape ecology · Sustainable forest management · Temperate climate · Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies · Forest ecology and management · Forest Management and Policy
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Climate change impacts, adaptive capacity, and vulnerability of European forest ecosystems
Cost-effective control of air quality and greenhouse gases in Europe
Vulnerability assessments of mountain forest ecosystems
Hotspots of land use change in Europe
On Growth Projections in the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways
Managing carbon sinks by changing rotation length in European forests
How are forests framed? An analysis of EU forest policy
Shared Socio-economic Pathways for European agriculture and food systems
The geography of megatrends affecting European agriculture
Estimating future wood outtakes in the Norwegian forestry sector under the shared socioeconomic pathways
Trade-offs of European agricultural abandonment
Classification of Forest Management Approaches
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |