The future of the world's forests is at the forefront of environmental debate. Rising concerns over the effects of deforestation and climate change are highlighting the need both to conserve and manage existing forests and woodland through sustainable forestry practices. The Forests Handbook, written by an international team of both scientists and practitioners, presents an integrated approach to forests and forestry, applying our present understanding of forest science to management practices, as a basis for achieving sustainability. Volume One presents an overview of the world's forests; their locations and what they are like, the science of how they operate as complex ecosystems and how they interact with their environment. Volume Two applies this science to reality; it focuses on forestry interventions and their impact, the principles governing how to protect forests and on how we can better harness the enormous benefits forests offer. Case studies are drawn from several different countries and are used to illustrate the key points. Development specialists, forest managers and those involved with land and land-use will find this handbook a valuable and comprehensive overview of forest science and forestry practice. Researchers and students of forestry, biology, ecology and geography will find it equally accessible and useful.

From the research results and discussions presented in this book it becomes clear that a profound understanding of the various interrelationships of the nutritional aspects allows the implementation of specific management strategies to improve stability and productivity of forest ecosystems. In particular the effects of environmental changes as related to the impacts of air pollution, global change and land use on nutrient uptake and cycling processes in forest ecosystems are dealt with in detail. The book is divided into six main issues and each topic contains reviews as well as selected results of recent studies.

Temperate forests cover large areas of Europe and perform a number of important functions such as the regulation of energy and matter, production of wood and other resources, and conservation of biodiversity and habitats; they also have special signi?cance in social and cultural contexts. Initiated in 1960s, the ?rst International Biological Program (IBP) focused on ‘‘the biological basis of productivity and human welfare. ’’ As the German contribution to the IBP, ecosystem research has been carried out since 1966 in the Solling area (Ellenberg H. , Ecological Studies 2, 1971), an upland region in Northwest Germany. This study provided clear evidence that the stability of forest ecosystems was threatened by the high inputs of at- spheric pollutants. This promoted many interdisciplinary research programs which were coordinated by Prof. Dr. Bernhard Ulrich and the Forest Ecosystems Research Center of the University of Go ̈ttingen. This involved, in addition to the Solling site, the establishment of two other sites for long-term monitoring of ecosystem pro- ̈ cesses. The two contrasting sites were established in 1980 at Gottinger Wald on base-rich calcareous soil and in 1989 at Zierenberg on volcanic soil. These projects were funded initially by the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology (BMBF) as interdisciplinary projects under the titles: ‘‘Conditions of Stability of Forest Ecosystems’’ (1989–1993), and ‘‘Dynamics of Forest Ecos- tems’’ (1993–1998). The primary goal of these studies was to quantify the ecolo- cal condition of forests in a changing environment and element ?uxes.

Anthropogenic influences to the earth's system, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, cryosphere and lithosphere, represent a serious challenge to our planet's ecosystems and natural environments. Bioclimatology, hydrology, bio-hydrology and eco-physiology are important scientific research areas with wide application to environmental protection, forestry, agriculture and water management, and protection against natural hazards including droughts, floods, windstorms, weather extremes, and wild fires. Bioclimatology helps to better understand the causes and impacts of natural hazards and how to prevent them. Improved knowledge of natural hazards is a vital prerequisite for the implementation of integrated resource management. It provides a useful framework for combating current climate variability and for adapting to ongoing climate change. This book presents research on the interactions between meteorological, climatological, hydrological and biological processes in the atmospheric and terrestrial environment. It highlights a spectrum of topics associated with climate change and weather extremes and their impact on different economic sectors. The contributing authors come from renowned scientific research institutions and universities and specialise in issues of climate change, soil-plant-atmosphere interactions, hydrologic cycle, ecosystems, biosphere, and natural hazards.