Kurzbeschreibung
(Französisch)
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Ce projet vise à mieux connaître la contribution des forêts à la santé et au confort des populations en Europe en quantifiant les différences existant entre le climat sous couvert forestier et le climat hors couvert forestier. Il analysera les données du réseau LWF, comprenant depuis 1996 16 sites de forêts suisses très variés, avec des mesures en parallèle, sous et hors couvert forestier. Il s'agira de mieux connaître les différences, en particulier lors de fortes chaleurs.
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Partner und Internationale Organisationen
(Englisch)
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BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, GR, HR, HU, IE, IT, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, UK
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Abstract
(Englisch)
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This project aimed at improving our knowledge of the contribution of forests to human health and wellbeing in Europe through an analysis of the differences between climate characteristics under forest cover and outside the forest. It has made use of the outstanding LWF meteorological observation network comprising 32 stations in 16 different sites (with 2 stations, 1 under and 1 outside the canopy). The project has brought a better understanding of the differences during episodes with extremely high temperatures like in summer 2003. Comparing them with well-known criteria of human comfort has shown that forests can potentially contribute to human health and wellbeing in these circumstances. Conditions under and outside the canopy could be quantified and forest ecosystems differentiated based on the climatic conditions under the canopy and on their interest for human health and comfort. We found clear differences between bioclimatic conditions in open-field and below-canopy. In summer, bioclimatic conditions were more comfortable for humans in the forest than in open-field. When the conditions came out as very hot or requiring extreme caution in open-field, they were in the more comfortable zone in the forest at hill and mountain level. Our results are of particular value to urban areas, where forested parks could provide an important source of relief during heat waves. Within a central European context, the most efficient ecosystems for this purpose appear to be beech, beech–silver fir and oak–silver fir forests. The opposite effect was seen in mugo pine and Scots pine forests, with warmer temperatures under the canopy compared to open-site.
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