by Matteo Cavallito<\/p>\n
Some forests may still be standing but may have already lost part of their capacity to recover<\/strong> from adverse events. This is the premise of the new policy brief<\/a> from eLTER<\/strong>, a European research infrastructure coordinating a network of sites dedicated to the long-term observation of ecosystems and socio-ecological systems. At the heart of the issue, the authors explain<\/a>, is not only the immediate loss of trees but also, and above all, the capacity of ecosystems to continue to protect biodiversity<\/strong>, store carbon, regulate water and sustain rural communities. All these aspects need to be taken into account in forest management.<\/p>\n \u201cEurope\u2019s forests are increasingly exposed to climate extremes, yet their resilience can be strengthened if it becomes a central management objective: forest resilience needs to be systematically monitored<\/strong>, assessed, and forecasted,\u201d the recently published document states. Only by doing so will it be possible \u201cto detect early warning signals, quantify resilience, and evaluate management outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n