Klein et al. (2026) Climate change effects on Mediterranean pine forests are faster than previously predicted

Identification

• Journal: Forest Ecology and Management
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-12
• Authors: Tamir Klein, Theofania Patsiou, JORDI VOLTAS
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.124233

Research Groups

• Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
• Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, Bern, 3013, Switzerland
• Department of Crop and Forest Sciences, University of Lleida, Av. Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, Lleida, E-25198, Spain
• Joint Research Unit CTFC-AGROTECNIO-CERCA, Av. Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, Lleida, E-25198, Spain

Short Summary

This study reviews recent literature on the growth responses of Pinus halepensis to climate change across the Mediterranean region, evaluating field observations against spatial projections from a previous synthesis.

Objective

• Investigate the effects of climate change on Pinus halepensis forests in the Mediterranean region
• Evaluate the accuracy of previous spatial projections of growth responses to climate change

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional (Mediterranean basin)
• Temporal Scale: Current climate variability driven by climate change, with a focus on recent literature published since 2020

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Spatially explicit forecasts of Pinus halepensis growth responses to temperature and precipitation, based on a space-for-time substitution approach
• Data sources: Field observations from common garden experiments, tree-ring studies, and other research papers

Main Results

• Contrasting coastal and continental sites in Italy and Algeria showed stronger growth inhibition in coastal populations than continental ones
• Range edge sites in southern Spain and Israel exhibited growth inhibition relative to nearby core populations
• Dry sites in Greece and eastern Spain experienced greater growth decline and higher mortality rates than adjacent wetter sites

Contributions

• This study provides a comprehensive review of recent literature on the responses of Pinus halepensis to climate change, highlighting the importance of considering regional patterns and spatial projections
• The findings suggest that several processes originally projected to occur well into the second half of this century are already underway, underscoring the need for urgent action to mitigate the impacts of climate change on Mediterranean pine forests

Funding

• European Research Council grant 101167854 RESILFOREST (supporting TK)
• PID2022-140521OB-C33 research project, funded by MICIU/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and FEDER, EU (supporting JV)

Citation

@article{Klein2026Climate,
  author = {Klein, Tamir and Patsiou, Theofania and VOLTAS, JORDI},
  title = {Climate change effects on Mediterranean pine forests are faster than previously predicted},
  journal = {Forest Ecology and Management},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.foreco.2026.124233},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2026.124233}
}