The NetForSur project will evaluate the vulnerability of forests to climate change along a latitudinal gradient in the Andes Cordillera; to achieve this goal, we will build a research network including 4 countries (Argentina, Chile, France, Peru) to develop synergies using similar methodologies in dendroecology, ecophysiology and remote sensing. The results will complete worldwide inventories of forest dieback and to propose updating of the species status in national and international red lists.
Obj 1 : We will assess the level of forest decline and tree mortality in the Andes Cordillera, through a bibliographic analysis including published and grey literature, since many studies are not yet available in international literature or only in Spanish. We will seek to identify the species at stake, the significance of decline in symptoms and surface area affected, the abiotic events associated to the decline and the mechanisms underlying the observed decline.
Obj 2: The growth dynamics of endangered, declining or protected tree species will be
analyzed. We will use a common methodology to study tree growth response to climate change, building a database to share existing data in dendro-ecology and field stand monitoring over the whole latitudinal gradient, and over local environmental gradients. We will explore several remote sensing tools to upscale the analyses at landscape and regional.
Obj 3: Our third objective is to evaluate the ecophysiological adaptive strategies to climate change of endangered or declining tree species (Araucaria araucana, Austrocedrus chilensis, Nothofagus spp, Polylepis spp.). We will set up a common methodology to study tree
ecophysiology, measuring adaptive traits characteristic of plant response to abiotic stress (hydraulic traits, energy dissipation traits) associating lab-measured species-specific traits and
field based ecophysiological campaigns.
Obj 4: Tree mortality risk will be assessed using model simulations associated to current
and future climatic conditions using the SUREAU ecophysiological model. It will be adapted
to local species and environmental conditions of the Andean Cordillera, and parameterized using data from objectives 2 and 3. Mortality risks predicted by the model will be evaluated in front of decline estimated in the field. Model simulations will be further considered under climate change scenario.
Obj 5: A major goal will be to build a long-term research network on forest adaptation to climate change. The collaboration, data sharing and methodology integration will focus on strengthening the international network between all countries in a formalized framework such as 2RI (https://www.inrae.fr/en/2ri-international-research-networks), and to visualize other calls in conjunction with the project to develop and disseminate new joint results on the adaptation of forests to climate change.