Articles | Volume 23, issue 17
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-5983-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-5983-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
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31 Aug 2026
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 31 Aug 2026
| 31 Aug 2026
Natural disturbances from bark beetle outbreaks and windthrow increasingly affect Europe's most mature and carbon-rich forests
GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Alba Viana-Soto
Technical University of Munich, School of Life Sciences, Earth Observation for Ecosystem Management, Freising, Germany
Henrik Hartmann
Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) – Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Forest Protection, Quedlinburg, Germany
Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, Georg-August-University, Büsgenweg 5, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans Knoell Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
Marco Patacca
Sustainable Forest Ecosystems, Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Technical University of Munich, School of Life Sciences, Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management in Mountain Landscapes, Freising, Germany
Viola H. A. Heinrich
GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
Katja Kowalski
Technical University of Munich, School of Life Sciences, Earth Observation for Ecosystem Management, Freising, Germany
Maurizio Santoro
Gamma Remote Sensing, 3073 Gümligen, Switzerland
Wanda De Keersmaecker
Environmental Intelligence, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium
Ruben Van De Kerchove
Environmental Intelligence, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium
Martin Herold
GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Cornelius Senf
Technical University of Munich, School of Life Sciences, Earth Observation for Ecosystem Management, Freising, Germany
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Editorial statement
European forests are an important carbon sink, but this sink and the carbon stocks that these forests contain are at risk from biotic disturbances and extreme events. Besnard and others use observations of forest changes to show that older and more carbon rich forests are disproportionately impacted by these events and are projected to become even more susceptible, emphasizing the role of proactive management to ensure forest resilience and diversity.
European forests are an important carbon sink, but this sink and the carbon stocks that these...
Short summary
Europe’s forests store vast amounts of carbon, but climate-driven disturbances are becoming more frequent. By combining satellite records with information on forest age and structure, we show that recent disturbances increasingly affect the oldest and most carbon-rich forests, particularly spruce forests in Central Europe. This emerging pattern puts long-accumulated carbon at risk and may reduce the long-term climate benefits provided by Europe’s forests.
Europe’s forests store vast amounts of carbon, but climate-driven disturbances are becoming more...
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