Forests are significantly dependent on the water regime and, in turn, have a significant impact on the water regime of territories. The water regime is a factor of extreme importance for forest management and climate change.
Here, a programme of measures for climate change adaptation in forests will be developed, aimed at climate change mitigation. The program will be derived through an analysis of: forest ecosystems in Bulgaria, Lithuania, Slovenia and a pilot area in Ukraine regarding the status of current climate change; national climate scenarios during the 21st century; as well as outlooks for forest ecosystem vulnerability differentiated by zones.
Maps for current climate trends (1961-1990), a realistic scenario for 2050, and optimistic, realistic and pessimistic scenarios for2070 in four GWP CEE countries will be established. The measures for adaptation will be specified in five vulnerability zones for forest areas: Zone Z – too high level of vulnerability; Zone B – high level of vulnerability; Zone C – average level of vulnerability; Zone D – low level of vulnerability; and Zone E – too low level of vulnerability. Each measure will include descriptions for the type of measure, necessary resources, responsible institutions, terms of implementation, and assessment indicators.