TY - JOUR

T1 - Old-growth beech forests in Germany as cool islands in a warming landscape

AU - Adhikari, Yojana

AU - Bachstein, Nadine

AU - Gohr, Charlotte

AU - Blumröder, Jeanette S.

AU - Meier, Caroline

AU - Ibisch, Pierre L.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024.

PY - 2024/12/5

Y1 - 2024/12/5

N2 - The climate crisis seriously threatens Central European forests and their ecosystem functions. There are indications that old-growth forests are relatively resilient and efficient in micro-climatic regulation during extreme climatic conditions. This study evaluates five well-protected old beech forests in Germany, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We examined temperature dynamics and vitality in core, buffer, and border zones during hot days from 2017 to 2023, using Landsat 8 and 9 imageries to assess Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), alongside on-site Air Temperature (AT) measurements. Our findings reveal that all five forests were impacted by recent extreme heat events, with core zones remaining cooler and more vital, followed by buffer zones. Temperature-regulating patterns varied with landscape characteristics and the surrounding matrixes. We observed a site-dependent cooling effect of the forest interior that increased with higher LST. Our study highlights the value of old-growth forests and recommends increasing effective protection around mature forests, establishing corridors between isolated patches, and creating mosaics in managed landscapes that include unmanaged areas capable of developing into old-growth ecosystems.

AB - The climate crisis seriously threatens Central European forests and their ecosystem functions. There are indications that old-growth forests are relatively resilient and efficient in micro-climatic regulation during extreme climatic conditions. This study evaluates five well-protected old beech forests in Germany, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We examined temperature dynamics and vitality in core, buffer, and border zones during hot days from 2017 to 2023, using Landsat 8 and 9 imageries to assess Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), alongside on-site Air Temperature (AT) measurements. Our findings reveal that all five forests were impacted by recent extreme heat events, with core zones remaining cooler and more vital, followed by buffer zones. Temperature-regulating patterns varied with landscape characteristics and the surrounding matrixes. We observed a site-dependent cooling effect of the forest interior that increased with higher LST. Our study highlights the value of old-growth forests and recommends increasing effective protection around mature forests, establishing corridors between isolated patches, and creating mosaics in managed landscapes that include unmanaged areas capable of developing into old-growth ecosystems.

KW - Climate crisis

KW - Ecosystem functions

KW - Land Surface Temperature

KW - Microclimatic regulation

KW - Normalized Difference Vegetation Index

KW - Vitality

KW - Sustainability Governance

KW - Environmental Governance

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85211101039&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s41598-024-81209-0

DO - 10.1038/s41598-024-81209-0

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 39639117

AN - SCOPUS:85211101039

VL - 14

JO - Scientific Reports

JF - Scientific Reports

SN - 2045-2322

IS - 1

M1 - 30311

ER -