Two modeling approaches were applied to evaluate the potential risks of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and possible climate change on the vegetation cover of the Alpine region. The first model is a stochastic forest succession simulator, the second is a static regression type model. The questions of the study were as follows: (1) Which temporal vegetation changes might occur under given carbon dioxide and climate scenarios? (2) Which region of the Alps might be most susceptible to a vegetation change?

Northern species not only tolerate but even benefit vegetatively from a slightly warmer climate than they have been adapted to. If the climatic warming remains below 5 celsius in annual mean temperature, the present forest will not be subject to direct disaster. Reproductive processes are likely to be enhanced through increased flowering and better seed maturation. There are few empirical studies on reproductive biology in new environments.

Climate change effects on forest soils will occur directly on soils or indirectly through effects on tree growth. Increases in soil temperature will cause an increase in soil respiration and decomposition and many increase rates of mineral weathering and ion exchange reactions. Forest soils represent a major sink for C and increased productivity in response to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide will lead to an increase in c storage in forest ecosystems. Changes in forest productivity will have significant effects on forest soils, included water use, soil moisture status and nutrient cycling.

Experimental research on the physiology of tree seedlings under simulated climate and doubled carbon dioxide can rarely be extrapolated to grown forests. Climatological research has demonstrated a warming trend in the north and a cooling trend in the south of China. However, the changing climate has not caused the death of forests. Projecting the impact of climate change on forest distribution and growth using current GCMs seems to be the only method available.

Information on potential forestry losses seems to be crucial to government officials that they can properly assess the costs and benefits of limiting pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. However very few socio-economic assessments of potential losses have been completed.

Climate change will be the major impact on all forests, included increased risk of large-scale fires, enhanced susceptibility to insects and diseases. Direct effects of air pollution on vegetation include damage to protective surface structures, disturbance of photosynthesis.

Climate change must be considered an ecological and socio-economic threat. We have to support any measures that are combating climate change. It is currently unknown which climate scenario will come true, and therefore very important to maintain the biological diversity of the forest ecosystems for a wide variety of possible development.

Monitoring of forest health represents an important part of programmes assessing the actual and potential impact of air pollution and climate change on forests. The available information indicates that variation between years is high, indicating that long term time series will be required to identify trends in forest condition.

Two main effects on ectomycorrhizae can be distinguished: direct effects due to a change in the soil chemistry and indirect effects due to a change of the carbohydrate supply from the host trees to the roots.

Wood will have a great importance as renewable raw material. Forest devastation endangers the world's future wood supply. We need a long-term strategy for forestry and forest products industries to protect complete ecological life cycle.