project - Research and innovation
ALTERFOR Alternative models and robust decision-making for future forest management
ALTERFOR Alternative models and robust decision-making for future forest management
Objectives
The main goal of ALTERFOR is to provide improved and new approaches in forest management that are robust enough to address the challenges of the 21st century. These challenges range from uncertainties of climate change and the complex dynamics of evolving global markets to the pressures for increased use of bioenergy. In ALTERFOR, researchers and stakeholders from the public, private, and civil society sectors explore alternative approaches for forest management in ten case study areas throughout Europe. The alternative FMMs aim to provide the desired combination of environmental, economic, social, and cultural benefits, and to reduce vulnerabilities at stand to landscape levels.
Objectives
See objectives in English
Activities
To achieve its goals, ALTERFOR examines alternative forest management models (FMMs) that are robust in their capacity to deliver ecosystem services and reduce socio-ecological risks. In addition, ALTERFOR assesses the impact of different FMMs in terms of resultant combinations of ecosystem services on the European and landscape level. Finally, ALTERFOR facilitates the implementation of desired FMMs in different case study areas in Europe and thereby improves cross-national knowledge transfer.
Project details
- Main funding source
- Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Horizon Project Type
- Multi-actor project
Emplacement
- Main geographical location
- Uppsala län
EUR 3,999,998.75
Total budget
Total contributions including EU funding.
9 Practice Abstracts
Forests within the Gölcük Case Study Area (Case Study Area, CSA)
provide many goods and services such as timber production,
recreation, water production, chestnut production (NWFP),
biodiversity and soil conservation. The vast majority of the CSA
is owned and managed by the state forest enterprise, which is
responsible for protecting forest resources and develops a naturefriendly
holistic approach for the management of forest resources
for multi-purpose sustainable outcomes. Different interventions
have been implemented and different management models have
been used, especially based on the tree species and conservation
approach, to achieve desired objectives by the state forest enterprise.
However, there was no mechanism to compare future outputs of
conducted and alternative forest management models with the help
of defined criteria under different scenarios. In collaboration with the
General Directorate of Forestry, the project team analysed the main
ecosystem services and displayed long-term effects of alternative
and current forest management approaches. The conducted
research is important for timber processing companies that directly
influence the production activities within the CSA, for handmade
chair producers who generally demand 3-4-years old Chestnut
shoots and local people collecting chestnut (NWFP) in the state
forest. The knowledge obtained in the project can help to planning
investments or taking forest management decisions considering
ecological aspects also by other important stakeholders. Currently,
thirteen water-bottling plants supply fresh water to the residences;
over fifty recreational areas serve as picnic areas and fish farms rent
land from the state forest enterprise. A nature protection institution
is responsible for planning, managing and improving the protected
areas within the CSA.
Gölcük orman ekosistemleri; odun üretimi, rekreasyon, su üretimi,
odun dışı orman ürünleri, biyolojik çeşitlilik ve toprak koruma gibi
çok ayıda ürün ve hizmeti topluma sunmaktadır. Çalışma alanında
yer alan ormanların mülkiyetinin büyük bölümü; ormanların
korunması, doğaya yakın işletilmesi ve bahsedilen ürün ve
hizmetlerin süreklilik ilkesi çerçevesinde çok amaçlı planlanmasından
sorumlu Gölcük Devlet Orman İşletmesi’ne aittir. Dolayısıyla, istenilen
amaçlara ulaşabilmek amacıyla, orman ekosistemlerinde yapılacak
müdahalelere ve alınacak kararlara paydaşların da görüşlerini alarak
Gölcük Devlet Orman İşletmesi karar vermektedir. Bununla birlikte,
ormanda yapılacak müdahalelerin gelecekte oluşacak ürün ve
hizmetler üzerindeki etkisini göstermeye veya karşılaştırmaya yönelik
elimizde bir mekanizma maalesef bulunmamaktadır. Bu projede,
Orman Genel Müdürlüğü ile birlikte, halihazırda kullanılmakta
olan silvikültürel yaklaşımlarla, alternatif olarak kullanılabilecek
devamlı orman silvikültürel yaklaşımının farklı iklim değişikliği
senaryoları altında, orman ekosistem hizmetleri üzerindeki etkileri
araştırılmıştır. Bu araştırma sonucunda elde edilecek bulgular; üretim
faaliyetlerini doğrudan etkileyen orman ürünleri işleyen fabrikalar,
üç-dört yaşında Kestane sürgünlerini kullanan el yapımı sandalye
üreten bambucular ve ticari amaçla Kestane meyvesi toplayıcılığı
yapan yerel halk tarafından oldukça önemli bilgiler sunmaktadır.
Bunun yanında ekolojik olarak değerlendirildiğinde ise, elde edilen
ekosistem çıktılar, diğer etkili paydaşlar olan; ülke genelinde temiz
su ihtiyacını sağlayan on üç su şişeleme tesisi, Gölcük Devlet Orman
İşletmesinden uzun dönemli kiralama yoluyla oluşturulan piknik
alanı ve balık çiftliği olarak hizmet veren ellinin üzerindeki rekreasyon
alanı ile korunan alanların planlanması, yönetilmesi ve geliştirilmesi
konularından sorumlu Doğa Koruma ve Milli Parklar Genel Müdürlüğü
tarafından alınacak kararlarda yardımcı olabilecektir.
The overall research goal of the ALTERFOR project is to provide improved and new approaches in forest management that are robust enough to address the challenges of the 21st century. As the ten current Forest Management Models applied in the Case Study Area Podpolanie face challenges ranging from uncertainties of climate change and the complex dynamics of evolving global markets pressure, the TUZVO team proposed two alternative models – a model
of mixed management concepts and a model of flexibly aged forests.
he modelling results revealed that differences in provisioning of ecosystem services under various scenarios while considering multiple influences are very small after 100 years. Especially differences among management concepts in comparison with today’s situation are small. Climate change, which was modelled via differences in multi-criterial values, has a greater impact. Based on the results it is expected that there will be improved wood production, regulatory services and biodiversity in the future. In contrast, reduction in provisioning water, in carbon sequestration and in recreation is expected. This tendency was general and thus predictable across all scenarios. Finally, the results revealed that changes in the nature protection and in the forest ownership structure will have zero impact on provisioning of ES in the tested time span.
Important actors in the CSA Podpolanie are forest and nature conservation authorities, forest owning municipalities, small-scale forest owners, a few largescale forest owners, various regional or local associations, non-governmental organizations, recreationists who use forests for biking or hiking, hunters, and a few timber processing companies. The state-owned enterprise Forests of the Slovak Republic, branch Kriváň, is the most important forestry player
in the CSA Podpolanie, managing almost 23 000 ha of forest land in the CSA (76%). Considering preliminary results and their discussion with stakeholders at two workshops, the further research steps of the TUZVO team will focus on optimization of ecosystem services provision under effect of considerably increased nature protection and more extreme behavior of the forest owners. The potential of the ALTERFOR project solution is to present alternative approaches to the forest management planning as well as to modernize the concept of ecosystem services provided by forests along with approaches for
their assessment and quantification.
Celkovým výskumným cieľom projektu Alterfor je poskytnúť lepšie a nové prístupy v obhospodarovaní lesov, ktoré sú dostatočne robustné na riešenie výziev 21. storočia. Keďže desať súčasných modelov hospodárenia, bežne aplikovaných v oblasti experimentálneho územia Podpoľanie čelí viacerým výzvam - od neistôt súvisiacich so zmenou klímy až po komplexnú dynamikou tlaku na globálnych trhoch, tím TUZVO navrhol dva nové, alternatívne modely hospodárenia - model zmiešaných hospodárskych koncepcií a model flexibilného lesa vekových tried.Výsledky modelovania odhalili, že rozdiely v poskytovaní ekosystémových služieb v rôznych scenároch s ohľadom na viaceré vplyvy sú po 100 rokoch hospodárenia relatívne malé. Najmä vplyv zmeny koncepcie hospodárenia v porovnaní so súčasnou situáciou je malý. Väčší vplyv má zmena klímy, ktorá sa prejavuje rozdielom vo viacerých multikriteriálnych hodnotách. Na základe
výsledkov sa očakáva, že v experimentálnom území bude pravdepodobne v budúcnosti zlepšená produkcia dreva, regulačné služby a biodiverzita.Na rozdiel od toho sa očakáva zhoršenie zásobovania vodou, sekvestrácia uhlíka a rekreácia. Táto tendencia bola všeobecná a preto predvídateľná vo všetkých scenároch. Výsledky tiež odhalili, že zmeny v rozsahu ochrany prírody
a v štruktúre vlastníctva lesa budú mať nulový vplyv na zabezpečenie ES v testovanom časovom rozpätí.
Dôležitými aktérmi v experimentálnom území Podpoľanie sú orgány lesného hospodárstva a ochrany prírody, obecné a spoločenstevné lesy, štátne lesy, rôzne regionálne alebo miestne združenia, mimovládne organizácie, rekreanti, ktorí využívajú lesy na cykloturistiku alebo pešiu turistiku, poľovníci a niekoľko
spoločností na spracovanie dreva. Štátny podnik Lesy Slovenskej republiky, závod Kriváň je najvýznamnejším aktérom, ktorý spravuje takmer 23 000 ha lesnej pôdy (76%). Po zohľadnení predbežných výsledkov a ich prediskutovaní so zástupcami cieľových skupín na dvoch workshopoch, v ďalšom výskume sa výskumný team TUZVO sústredí na optimalizáciu poskytovania ekosystémových služieb v podmienkach zvýšených požiadaviek na ochramu prírody a extrémnejšieho správania vlastníkov lesov.Potenciál riešenia projektu ALTERFOR potom spočíva v prezentácii alternatívnych prístupov k plánovaniu obhospodarovania lesov ako aj modernizácii koncepcie ekosystémových služieb poskytovaných lesom spolu s
prístupmi k ich hodnoteniu a kvantifikácii.
The research focuses on the analysis of trade-offs between ecosystem
services to support landscape-level forest management planning under
climate change scenarios. It builds from specific methodologies to
estimate the value of ecosystem services indicators as well as on models
to simulate stand-level prescriptions. This information is used by Pareto
frontier approaches to help stakeholders select ecosystem services
bundles as well as the forest programs needed to provide them.
In the Case Study Area of Vale do Sousa (CSA), most forest holdings
are small and decisions are often made at holding or stand level thus
precluding the benefits from joint landscape management. The most
evident potential benefit from a landscape level management approach
is the decrease of its vulnerability to wildfires while maintaining an
adequate level of wood production.
The forest owners association and the forest owners are the direct
beneficiaries from a landscape level management approach.
Nevertheless, forest industries also benefit from a reduction of
wood supply risk. The provision of other ecosystem services, such
as biodiversity and soil protection, will benefit society as a whole by
directly addressing the concerns of environmental NGO’s and public
administration in the CSA.
In participatory processes including workshops, stakeholders may
take advantage of the integrated functionality of decision support
tools to analyze trade-offs between ecosystem services and achieve
a consensual landscape-level solution to the CSA managementplanning
problem. The tool lists the stand-level prescriptions in that
solution thus providing valuable information to the forest owner. This
information is influential to developing multi-objective plans that
address wood supply, vulnerability to wildfires as well as the provision
of other ecosystem services under climate change scenarios. It is further
influential to addressing climate change adaptation and mitigation
concerns.
A investigação foca-se na análise de trade-offs entre serviços de
ecossistema apoiando o planeamento da gestão florestal à escala
da paisagem em cenários de alteração climática. Esta análise
baseia-se em metodologias específicas para a estimar o valor dos
indicadores dos serviços de ecossistema bem como em modelos
para simular as intervenções florestais ao nível dos povoamentos.
Na área de estudo das ZIF do Vale do Sousa, a maioria das
propriedades são de pequena dimensão e as decisões de gestão
são realizadas de forma individual, dificultando a obtenção dos
benefícios de uma gestão conjunta da paisagem. O exemplo mais
evidente dos potenciais benefícios de uma gestão à escala da
paisagem é a diminuição da sua vulnerabilidade aos incêndios
florestais, mantendo um nível adequado de produção de madeira.
A associação de produtores florestais e os proprietários florestais
são os beneficiários directos de uma gestão ao nível da paisagem.
No entanto, as indústrias florestais também beneficiam de um
menor risco na obtenção de madeira. A produção de outros
serviços de ecossistema tais como a biodiversidade e a proteção
do solo vão beneficiar a sociedade em geral, correspondendo às
preocupações das ONG’s de ambiente e das entidades estatais que
actuam na área de estudo.
Através de processos participativos realizados em Workshops,
as partes interessadas usufruem de um sistema integrado de
suporte à decisão para analisar os trade-offs e chegar a uma
solução consensual para o problema do planeamento à escala
da paisagem. Este sistema, identifica as intervenções florestais
correspondentes à solução escolhida, fornecendo assim
informação relevante para o proprietário florestal. Esta informação
é determinante para o desenvolvimento de planos multi-objectivo
que consideram a produção de madeira, a vulnerabilidade aos
incêndios florestais bem como o fornecimento de outros serviços
de ecossistema para diferentes cenários de alteração climática.
É assim, também, determinante para o desenvolvimento de
estratégias de adaptação e mitigação das alterações climáticas.
The research deals with the question how future proof Dutch
forest management is. The Dutch forest sector will face many
(new) challenges in the decades to come – such as climate change,
the increasing demand for biomass for energy, the changing
demands from society – and the central question is how our future
forest management could look like. The research, first of all,
explored current forest management practices in the Netherlands.
Secondly, together with stakeholders from the Dutch sector
(including experts in the field of forestry such as forest managers,
policy makers, scientists, researchers, and consultants), different
possible new forest management approaches were established:
three single-ecosystem oriented forest management approaches
(biomass, quality timber, recreation) and two multifunctional
approaches (climate hedging and N2000). Additionally, the effects
of game were included as an important aspect in all approaches,
as this was considered to be very relevant for the success or
failure of all of these approaches. Stakeholders also discussed the
drivers underlying the choices of forest managers as regards their
future management. Particularly the vision, mission and strategy
of the forest manager were seen as extremely important, next to
three dominant drivers: policies, subsidies, and environmental
factors (climate change, N-deposits). The new forest management
approaches were evaluated for their output in terms of Ecosystem
Services and compared with the ES provision of current forest
management practices in order to make comparison possible, and
for different possible scenarios to test for robustness. However,
due to modelling issues resulting in an over- and underestimation
of some of the ES indicators, no reliable answers on the long-term
evaluation of the approaches can be provided yet. This is the focus
of the research in the last part of the project
Het onderzoek richt zich op de vraag hoe toekomstbestendig
het Nederlandse bosbeheer is. Met de vele (nieuwe) uitdagingen
die de Nederlandse bossector te wachten staat – zoals
klimaatverandering, de toenemende vraag naar biomassa voor
energie en maatschappelijke veranderingen, is het de vraag hoe ons
toekomstig bosbeheer er uit zou moeten zien. In de eerste fase van
het onderzoek is het huidige bosbeheer in Nederland onderzocht.
In de tweede fase zijn, in samenwerking met stakeholders uit de
sector (waaronder beheerders, beleidsmakers, onderzoekers en
consultants), verschillende mogelijke alternatieve vormen van
bosbeheer opgesteld: drie vormen van bosbeheer met een specifieke
focus op één van de Ecosysteem Diensten (biomassa, kwaliteitshout
en recreatie) en twee multifunctionele vormen van bosbeheer
(klimaatbestendig beheer en N2000). In alle vijf is ook expliciet de
effecten van wild opgenomen, omdat dit door de stakeholders als
bepalend voor het succes of falen van een bosbeheervorm werd
ervaren. Stakeholders hebben ook geëvalueerd welke factoren ze als
invloedrijk zien als het gaat om beslissingen over het toekomstige
bosbeheer. Als belangrijkste werden missie, visie en doelstellingen
genoemd. Andere invloedrijke factoren zijn beleid, subsidies en
omgevingsfactoren (klimaatverandering, N-emissies). De nieuw
geformuleerde bosbeheervormen zijn vervolgens geëvalueerd op
basis van hun resultaten in termen van ES met als doel vergelijking
met het huidige beheer mogelijk te maken. Daarnaast zijn
verschillende scenario’s doorgerekend om de bosbeheervormen op
hun robuustheid te testen. Vanwege modelleringsproblemen is het
nog niet mogelijk betrouwbare uitspraken te doen over de langetermijn
uitkomsten van de verschillende vormen van het bosbeheer.
Hieraan zal in het laatste jaar van het project worden gewerkt.
The research focused both on building methodological
framework to assess the performance of current and
alternative forest management models taking into
consideration different futures and validating several forestry
alternatives important for Lithuania nowadays. First, we
simulated forest resource development and forest use under
conditions of several climate mitigation scenarios, assuming
that current forest management practices are continued.
The main findings were that the increased efforts for
climate change mitigation correlated positively with profits
from forestry activities, while the reduction of biodiversity
values was smaller despite the changes in growth and
harvesting intensity. Then, we thoroughly investigated the
potential influence of alternative management approaches
on long-term sustainability of forestry in terms of balance
of ecosystem services from forested landscapes. As the
management alternatives, we considered more adaptive
approaches in choosing the rotation ages, increasing the
share of deciduous tree species in spruce dominating
forests and the costs and benefits of increasing the areas
with no active forest management. Even though the study
was conducted on a relatively small area representing less
than 4% of the country’s area, direct participation of a key
forestry actor in Lithuania – the state company “State forest
enterprise”– enabled both the visibility of our findings
and the transferability of our approaches. To sum up, the
ALTERFOR team demonstrated that modern forestry might
be able to ensure both the sustainability of ecosystems and
maximization of the contribution forests make to the welfare
of people and the country.
Šiuo tyrimu siekėme dviejų tikslų – sukurti dabar naudojamų
bei norimų pasiūlyti miškininkavimo metodų patikros
metodinius principus, kurie atsižvelgtų į neišvengiamai
besikeičiančias ateities sąlygas, o taip pat įvertinti šiuo
metu Lietuvai svarbias miškininkystės alternatyvas. Pirma,
buvo sumodeliuota miško išteklių ir miškininkystės raida
esant įvairiems klimato kaitos ir žmonijos pastangų tai
kaitai sušvelninti scenarijams bei darant prielaidą, kad
dabartinė miškininkavimo praktika ateityje nekinta.
Pademonstravome, kad klimato kaitos švelninimo pastangos
yra atperkamos didesniu pelnu iš miškininkystės veiklos,
nepaisant mažesnio prieaugio bei kirtimų, o tuo pačiu
sulėtėja su biologine įvairove susijusių vertybių mažėjimas.
Po to kruopščiai įvertinome kai kurių miškininkavimo
alternatyvų potencialią įtaką ilgalaikiam miškininkavimo
tvarumui, kurį išreiškėme miško teikiamų ekosisteminių
paslaugų paketo balansu. Nagrinėtos miškininkavimo
alternatyvos sietos su adaptyvių miško kirtimo amžių
pasirinkimu, lapuočių dalies eglės dominuojamuose
medynuose didinimu ar potencialių Europos Bendrijai
svarbių buveinių plėtojimu. Nors tyrimai apėmė tik 4%
Lietuvos teritorijos, faktas, kad projekte dalyvavo VĮ
Valstybinių miškų urėdija, padarė mūsų tyrimų rezultatus
tiek matomais, tiek ir žinomais diegimo praktikoje prasme.
Apibendrinant, ALTERFOR komanda pademonstravo, kad
šiuolaikinis miško ūkis gali ne tik užtikrinti ekosistemų
dinaminį tvarumą, tačiau ir išplėsti miško įnašą į piliečių bei
šalies gerovę.
The Italian case study for the ALTERFOR project consists of the Eastern Veneto forest areas belonging to the Lowland Forest Association (Associazione Forestale di Pianura, AFP). The area hosts mainly oak-hornbeam forests, both relict and recent ones, and coastal pine forests, all together stretching over some 300 ha. Forests stand close to semi-urban areas, highly visited/used by both tourists and locals. Research activities analysed current forest management models and identified -with the support of stakeholders- the main current and desired ecosystem services, with the aim to develop appropriate management solutions. Considering intrinsic features, location and the type of users, the study area is particularly appropriate for management solutions aimed to conservation of natural values (species and habitat biodiversity) and the provision of many cultural ecosystem services by offering recreation opportunities to a broad range of users. Though possible, timber production does not represent the main objective of forest management. Potential future management solutions have been identified and discussed via interviews, workshops and events with stakeholders that highlighted the need to develop silvicultural models based on selective harvesting, aimed to ensure a balanced coexistence of nature conservation and other functions. Within this perspective, management models will be oriented to renaturalization goals (in terms of species composition, forest structure, etc.) and the will to ensure planned and safe forest use conditions for multiple users. Besides strictly silvicultural aspects, the promotion of innovative management models sensu lato has emerged as a key issue, looking at new cooperation opportunities among different actors (private and public ones) and ways to value territories and their resources, with positive impacts on local communities and other beneficiaries, while ensuring a multifunctional forest management.
Il caso studio italiano del progetto ALTERFOR è rappresentato dai
boschi del Veneto Orientale rientranti nell’Associazione Forestale di
Pianura (AFP). Si tratta per lo più di querco-carpineti planiziali, in parte residuali e in parte di recente creazione, e di pinete litoranee, per una superficie complessiva di poco inferiore a 300 ha. Tali boschi si trovano in aree semi-urbane, a ridosso di zone ad altissima frequentazione
da parte di turisti e residenti. Le attività di ricerca hanno analizzato i
modelli di gestione attuali del bosco e individuato -con il contributo
dei portatori di interesse- i principali servizi ecosistemici attuali
e desiderati, al fin di sviluppare soluzioni gestionali adeguate. In
ragione delle caratteristiche intrinseche, della collocazione e del
conseguente tipo di fruizione, l’area di studio si presta in particolare
alla gestione a fini di conservazione di valori naturalistici (biodiversità
di specie e habitat) e costituisce una risorsa importante dal punto di
vista dei servizi culturali, offrendo opportunità di ricreazione e svago
a un elevato numero di utenti. La produzione di legname, ancorché
possibile, non costituisce il principale obiettivo gestionale. Possibili
soluzioni gestionali future sono stati individuate e discusse attraverso
interviste, workshop ed eventi con portatori di interesse, nel corso
dei quali è emersa la necessità di attuare modelli selvicolturali basati
su tagli selettivi, finalizzati ad assicurare un’equilibrata coesistenza di
funzioni di conservazione e di valorizzazione. In tal senso la gestione
sarà orientata a una rinaturalizzazione delle aree (in termini di
composizione specifica, struttura, ecc.) e alla possibilità di assicurare
una fruizione pianificata e sicura. Al di là degli aspetti strettamente
selvicolturali, è inoltre emersa la necessità di promuovere modelli
gestionali innovativi in senso lato, che guardino cioè a forme di
collaborazione tra attori diversi (pubblici e privati) e alla promozione
di forme di valorizzazione del territorio e delle sue risorse con
ricadute positive dirette sulle comunità locali e sui beneficiari esterni,
mantenendo un giusto equilibrio tra le diverse funzioni del bosco.
The ALTERFOR project in Ireland focused on assessing future impacts of climate change and dynamic timber prices on western peatland forests, and on developing adaptive, alternative forest management models for these forests. The case study area (CSA), located in country Galway, is dominated by Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) plantations on blanket peat. The forest is mainly owned by Coillte (the Irish state forestry board) and is surrounded by land with protected status. These designations restrict the use of fertiliser, resulting in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas) now being the only option for reforestation of blanket peats. Climate change will impact the growth of most commercially valuable species negatively, but it will increase lodgepole pine growth on peatlands. The impact of higher wood prices, resulting from an expanding bioeconomy to limit climate change, will make low-productivity sites marginally profitable, leading to intensified forest management. Stakeholders consulted in the CSA are Coillte, the Forest Service, private forest owners, ECC sawmill, National Parks and Wildlife Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, local angling clubs, Irish Peatland Conservation Council, and Teagasc (the state agency for research and advisory for agriculture and forestry). The new management models were developed with Coillte after stakeholder consultations and focus on planting lower densities of lodgepole pine. Some lower densities will facilitate biomass production on marginal sites and even lower densities will establish semi-open open forests on poor sites, allowing native species to regenerate naturally. Reducing stockings result in more profitable forestry and less adverse impacts on water quality as harvesting intensity is reduced. The project has facilitated discussion between stakeholders about what the future western peatland forest landscape may look like, what their preferences are, and what is feasible with regards to forest policy, economics and the biophysical site conditions.
The ALTERFOR project in Ireland focused on assessing future impacts of climate change and dynamic timber prices on western peatland forests, and on developing adaptive, alternative forest management models for these forests. The case study area (CSA), located in country Galway, is dominated by Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) plantations on blanket peat. The forest is mainly owned by Coillte (the Irish state forestry board) and is surrounded by land with protected status. These designations restrict the use of fertiliser, resulting in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas) now being the only option for reforestation of blanket peats. Climate change will impact the growth of most commercially valuable species negatively, but it will increase lodgepole pine growth on peatlands. The impact of higher wood prices, resulting from an expanding bioeconomy to limit climate change, will make low-productivity sites marginally profitable, leading to intensified forest management. Stakeholders consulted in the CSA are Coillte, the Forest Service, private forest owners, ECC sawmill, National Parks and Wildlife Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, local angling clubs, Irish Peatland Conservation Council, and Teagasc (the state agency for research and advisory for agriculture and forestry). The new management models were developed with Coillte after stakeholder consultations and focus on planting lower densities of lodgepole pine. Some lower densities will facilitate biomass production on marginal sites and even lower densities will establish semi-open open forests on poor sites, allowing native species to regenerate naturally. Reducing stockings result in more profitable forestry and less adverse impacts on water quality as harvesting intensity is reduced. The project has facilitated discussion between stakeholders about what the future western peatland forest landscape may look like, what their preferences are, and what is feasible with regards to forest policy, economics and the biophysical site conditions.
The German team simulated tree and forest growth both in the 100.000
ha large region Augsburg Westliche Wälder (Bavaria) and in the 100.000 ha large region Lieberose/Schlaubertal (Brandenburg) for the next hundred years in order to support forest management. Three alternative calculations show different impacts on ecosystem services by (1) multifunctional forestry, (2) maximizing timber production and
(3) untouched forest development in these case study areas. For both
areas, one of the main findings is that existing structure of species and age largely determine the ecosystem services produced by the forests. OneHundred years with different management practices would be too short to change the ecosystem basket substantially. Another important result is that in case of multifunctional forestry, twenty percent of the biological potential for timber production is not used. Finally, in the region in Brandenburg, untouched forests would increase the risk of fire damages.
The project team organised workshops in the case study areas and invited different forest-related actors. Forestry stakeholders and representatives from natural conservation organisations discussed the modeling results in two groups, in an atmosphere of high trust. Public and private forest owners appreciated multifunctional forestry due to the high stability and continuous supply with ecosystem services including income from timber sales. They were willing to sacrifice twenty percent timber harvest that they could produce in a more dynamic but still sustainable manner. Set asides with no management at all were strictly rejected by forest owners. In contrast to the forest owners, representatives of the nature conservation sector welcomed the alternative calculation of untouched forest development. This would mean increased biodiversity and CO₂ provision in the next one hundred years, mainly resulting from a higher share of untouched forests.
Die je 100.000 ha umfassenden Fallstudienregionen Bayern,
Augsburg Westliche Wälder und die Region Brandenburg Lieberose /
Schlaubetal modellierten zum ersten Mal die Entwicklung des Waldes
in den nächsten 100 Jahren. Drei alternative Szenarien zeigen die
Auswirkungen auf die Ökosystemleistungen: (1) Multifunktionale
Forstwirtschaft, (2) Maximale Holzproduktion und (3) Natürliche
Waldsukzession. Das Hauptergebnis für beide Regionen ist, dass die
Ausgangsstruktur des Waldes, abhängig etwa von den vorhandenen
Baumarten und deren Alter, die Ökosystemleistungen der Wälder für
die nächsten hundert Jahre weitgehend bestimmt. Für fundamentale
Änderungen durch alternative Waldbauverfahren sind hundert Jahre
ein zu kurz bemessener Zeitraum. Ein anderes wichtiges Ergebnis
zeigt, dass multifunktionale Waldbewirtschaftung würde mit einem
Verzicht von zwanzig Prozent an möglicher nachhaltiger Holznutzung
einhergehen. Natürliche Waldentwicklung wiederum erhöht das
Brandrisiko in der Region Brandenburg erheblich.
An den Workshops nahmen staatliche Akteure, Interessengruppen
und Waldeigentümer teil. Die Trennung in Akteure des Forst- und
solche des Naturschutzsektors erleichterte eine konstruktive
Diskussion zwischen Wissenschaft und Praxis. Öffentliche und private
Waldeigentümer unterstützen das Szenario der multifunktionalen
Forstwirtschaft aufgrund ihrer hohen Stabilität und ausgewogenen
Ökosystemleistungen, einschließlich regelmäßiger Erträge aus
dem Holzverkauf. Sie wären bereit auf zwanzig Prozent höhere
Erträge zu verzichten, die eine maximal ausgelastete, aber dennoch
nachhaltige Holzproduktion ermöglichen könnte. Stilllegungsflächen
im Wald werden von forstlichen Akteuren abgelehnt. Akteure des
Naturschutzes begrüßten das Szenario, in dem die Biodiversität
durch zwanzig Prozent Sukzessionsflächen erhöht werden konnte
und für die nächsten hundert Jahre auch CO2 durch Zuwächse im
Wald gebunden wird.
The research focused on finding management methods better
equipped to efficiently balance wood production and biodiversity
conservation in Southern Sweden. Our case study area Kronoberg
County has 13,700 small-scale forest owners and a landscape
perspective is often lacking. In collaboration with the County
Administrative Board (CAB), ALTERFOR scientists simulated
that long-term effects of important conservation measures that
could prospectively be integrated in the CABs work with green
infrastructure in Sweden. On the other hand, active climate change
mitigation will most likely increase the future demand for wood. To
meet this challenge, while at the same time protecting substantial
areas for biodiversity, the timber production needs to increase.
Together with the forest owner association Södra the research
team has found alternatives that, when used simultaneously, can
increase the growth by 30%. These findings were actively discussed
in workshops with forestry actors in the county that through their
advisory services play a great role in shaping forest management
practices. Increasing the share of broadleaves was identified as
the most important focus area for biodiversity. The suggested
measures include retaining border zones rich in broadleaves;
establishing mixed forests; and plantations of oak. The easiest way
to increase production is to invest in better forest regeneration with
the current methods. Fertilization, exotic tree species and clones
of spruce are other possible alternatives, however, associated
with higher implementation barriers. To sum up, the ALTERFOR
team identified a number of stand level measures that, in due
proportions on landscape level, will enable an efficient balancing
between timber production and biodiversity.
Vår forskning har fokuserat på att hitta skötselmetoder som är
bättre utrustade för att effektivt balansera virkesproduktion och
bevarandet av biologisk mångfald i södra Sverige. Vår fallstudie
Kronobergs län har 13,700 privata skogsägare och här saknas
det ofta ett landskapsperspektiv. I samarbete med länsstyrelsen
så simulerade ALTERFOR forskare de långsiktiga effekterna
av viktiga bevarandeåtgärder som i framtiden kan integreras i
länsstyrelsens arbete med grön infrastruktur i Sverige. Å andra
sidan, aktivt arbete med att motverka klimatförändringarna
kommer troligen att öka den framtida efterfrågan på virke. För
att kunna möta denna utmaning och samtidigt kunna skydda
betydande arealer för biologisk mångfald så måste man öka
tillväxten. Tillsammans med skogsägarföreningen Södra så har
vi tagit fram alternativ, som tillsammans kan öka tillväxten med
30 %. Dessa resultat diskuterades under workshops med skogliga
aktörer i länet som genom sina rådgivningsinsatser har stor
påverkan på skogsskötseln. Att öka mängden löv identifierades
som det viktigaste fokusområdet för den biologiska mångfalden.
Våra föreslagna åtgärder inkluderar att lämna lövrika kantzoner
vid avverkning, etablera blandskog och plantera ek. Det enklaste
sättet att öka produktionen är att investera i bättre föryngringar
med dagens vedertagna metoder. Gödsling, exotiska trädslag och
kloner av gran är andra möjliga alternativ, som dock är förknippade
med högre implementeringsbarriärer. Sammanfattningsvis, vi
har identifierat ett antal åtgärder på beståndsnivå, som i rätt
proportioner på landskapsnivå kan möjliggöra en mer effektiv
balansering av virkesproduktion och bevarandet av den biologiska
mångfalden.
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