A new report by the world’s top forestry scientists says climate change could ac-tually expand boreal forests and lead to a drop in worldwide timber prices.
The report by the International Un-ion of Forest Research Organisations will be released at the UN Forum on Forests in New York City on April 20-May 1.
Authored by 35 top forestry scien-tists, the study says climate change could lead to ”substantial gains” in the supply of timber by fueling a northward expansion of the boreal forest – a conif-erous belt which runs across northern latitudes and includes forests in main timber producing nations such as Can-ada, Finland, Russia and Sweden.
The report says Europe’s most heav-ily-forested nation, Finland, could see more than a 40% increase in timber growth.
However, if climate change contin-ued at the current pace, the boreal ex-pansion could eventually be offset by a rise in insect invasions, fires and storms.
