Ecology, Structure and Dynamics of North Patagonian Forests and Derivations for Ecosystem Management

This volume of Managing Forest Ecosystems addresses the urgent challenge of managing temperate forests under accelerating climate change. It adopts a comparative, transhemispheric perspective by examining forest ecosystems in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, with a particular focus on the trans-Andean gradient in Northern Patagonian Nothofagus forests and Central European Fagus (beech) forests.

Through an interdisciplinary and evidence-based approach, the volume examines ecological adaptations, species responses, and disturbance dynamics under accelerating global change. It emphasizes strategies for climate-adapted forestry, the integration of ecological and technological knowledge, and the importance of long-term monitoring and international collaboration.

By linking scientific insights with global policy frameworks such as the UN 2030 Agenda and the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, this book offers a foundation for nature-based solutions and knowledge transfer. It is an essential resource for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in forestry, ecology, and environmental sciences, as well as graduate students seeking a comprehensive understanding of climate-adapted forest management.

Section A: Section A EXPANDIG OUR HORIZONS: Trans-hemispheric and trans-disciplinary approach - the fundamental idea of bringing together experiences and perspectives from different regions in the middle latitudes. - Chapter 1. Structure of the Overall Project and Aim of the Book. - Chapter 2. Transhemispheric Space-for-Time Substitution Concepts to Investigate Forest Responses to Climate Change. - Chapter 3. Two Northern and Southern Hemisphere Keystone Tree Species in the Face of Global Change European Fagus sylvatica L. and Patagonian Nothofagus dombeyi (Mirb.) Ørst. - Section B EXAMPLARY MODEL APPROACH: Interdisciplinary transect research - covering the variability of the landscape along macroclimatic gradients - exemplified by the southern hemisphere, trans-Andean rainfall gradient in northern Patagonia. - Chapter 4. Climate Variations Across Landscape Gradients of Northern Patagonian Andean Forests: Lessons from High-Resolution Climate Datasets and Microclimatic Records. - Chapter 5. From Herbs to Canopy: Spatiotemporal Patterns of Forest Plant Communities in Northern Andean Patagonia. - Chapter 6. Tree-Ring-Based Assessment of Climate Vulnerability in Native and Introduced Tree Species in Northern Patagonia. - Chapter 7. The Canopy of Large Old Trees: A Structural Component for Biodiversity Conservation in Northern Patagonian Rainforests. - Chapter 8. Vulnerability to Climate Change of Andean Mountain Forests in Southern Chile Based on Long-Term Forest Monitoring. - Section C NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS / BRIDGING NATURE AND HUMANS: Closing the gap between research and practice using the example of southern hemisphere southern beech forests and circulating the potentials for a trans-hemispheric transfer of ideas and perspectives. - Chapter 9. Spatially Explicit Modeling as a Tool for Collaborative-Oriented Management of Patagonian Forest Landscapes - Can we Reduce Fire Extent and Severity by Basin-Oriented Management? - Chapter 10. Current Topics in Vegetation Dynamics and Plant Succession in Northern Patagonian Andean Forests: Bridging Knowledge Gaps for Ecosystem-Based Management. - Chapter 11. Restoration in Northern Andean-Patagonian forests: Insights from the Past, Directions for the Future. - Chapter 12. Ecosystem-based Landscape Planning and Management of Southern Temperate Forests. - Chapter 13: Synthesis: Key Findings, Gaps, and Future Directions.