Adapting forests to climate change: an experiment to promote different tree species in mixed Scots pine forests (Pinus sylvestris L.)

Key message 

We have applied various silvicultural treatments to enhance the adaptation of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) mixed forests to climate change in Montesquiu Castle Park (Catalonia, NE Spain). Some treatments have shown positive effects, such as increased growth, reduced defoliation, and greater resistance of Scots pine to drought. However, other treatments may lead to a shift in vegetation from pine-dominated to oak-dominated forests. Future extreme droughts could increase pine mortality, potentially accelerating this shift. These findings are significant for forest management aimed at adapting these species to climate change in their southern distribution range: forest thinning could improve Scots pine’s ability to cope with stress, while pine removal may promote the growth of pubescent oak.

Keywords
Forest management; Forest adaptation; Climate change; Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris); Pubescent oak (Quercus pubescens); Vegetation shift; Thinning

Publication
Buscà, S., Pascual, D., Pla, E. et al. Adapting forests to climate change: an experiment to promote different tree species in mixed Scots pine forests (Pinus sylvestris L.). Annals of Forest Science 82, 21 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-025-01287-6

Data availability
The data generated during this experiment are freely available following this link:  Retana, Javier; Buscà, Sara; Pascual, Diana; Pla, Eduard. 2025, “Montesquiu forest inventory data”, https://doi.org/10.34810/data2056, CORA. Repositori de Dades de Recerca.

Handling editor
Andreas Bolte