Press "Enter" to skip to content

Category: Forest conservation

From Woodpeckers to WoodcuttersWageningen group

From Woodpeckers to Woodcutters

Published June 25, 2026 by Annabel Burg

A Wageningen University Research Visit to Sweden’s Forests

By Annabel Burg, Sietse van der Woude, Maximilian Schulte, Linus Bockenhoff, Johannes Reiche, Gert-Jan Nabuurs; and photos by Sietse van der Woude

On the morning of Sunday, we had finally arrived in Umeå. The trip had been months in the making: a research exchange between Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), woven into a packed week of field visits, industry meetings, and policy discussions stretching across the country. By the end of the week, our group of six (Gert-Jan, Maximilian, Annabel, Linus, Sietse, and Johannes) would cover roughly the length of Sweden, from the boreal forests of Umeå in the North to the mixed woodlands near Gothenburg in the South. And we exchanged on several projects where we collaborate with EFI: from Wildcard to FORWARDS and Monifun.

Continue readingFrom Woodpeckers to Woodcutters
Leave a Comment
When forests return: carbon gains and biodiversity trade-offsMeasurements in the forest

When forests return: carbon gains and biodiversity trade-offs

Published May 20, 2026 by Lorenzo Orzan

Blogpost by Lorenzo Orzan

Across Europe, something quiet but powerful is happening. As people leave rural areas, forests are coming back, slowly reclaiming former meadows and pastures. At first glance, this seems like good news. More forests mean more carbon stored and, potentially, more biodiversity. But is it really that simple?

In our recent study As forests reclaim the land: Latitudinal variations in carbon-biodiversity trade-offs under natural forest expansion in Italy published in Forest Ecology and Management, we followed this process from North to South, tracking how ecosystems change over time as forests naturally regenerate. By comparing sites at different stages, from open grasslands to forests up to 75 years old, we were able to reconstruct what happens when trees return.

Continue readingWhen forests return: carbon gains and biodiversity trade-offs
Leave a Comment
Life in DeadwoodLIFESPAN still

Life in Deadwood

Published April 29, 2026 by Gesche Schifferdecker

Blogpost by Gesche Schifferdecker and Andrea Barzagli

“Today, there is no longer discussion about the general value of deadwood. Now the discussion is only about how, when, and where to preserve it.”

I heard that line like a door closing on an old argument. And then, just as quickly, another door opened onto the real question: what does “keeping deadwood” actually look like in a forest that is also being managed for people?

That’s the thread running through The Life in Deadwood, the final documentary of the LIFE SPAN project – filmed across two pilot sites, the Cansiglio Forest (Italy) and the Sailershausen University Forest (Germany). Guided by Jörg Müller, professor of conservation biology and forest ecology at the University of Würzburg, the ~20‑minute film follows a quiet, ongoing “competition between humans and saproxylic organisms”.

Continue readingLife in Deadwood
Leave a Comment
Rewilding cultural imaginations: Reflections from an art exhibition in the forest Exhibition in the forest

Rewilding cultural imaginations: Reflections from an art exhibition in the forest 

Published April 15, 2026 by Gesche Schifferdecker

How does rewilding speak to you? Why does it matter to you or your community? How can rewilding transform both landscapes and mindsets? 

These were the questions we asked ourselves as we started our collaborative “Rewilding through Art” initiative between the WILDCARD and the REWRITE projects. These were also the questions we put forward, to invite anyone with a story, image, or idea about rewilding to share their vision with us. Our goal? An immersive exhibition in the forest with the vision to bridge art, science, and culture. And a virtual gallery with Meander, a new magazine for bioregional culture, slow living, and regenerative futures, who became a collaborating partner along the way. 

Continue readingRewilding cultural imaginations: Reflections from an art exhibition in the forest 
Leave a Comment
Where Europe could rewild: mapping the forests of the futureProforestation in Germany (photo: Gesche Schifferdecker)

Where Europe could rewild: mapping the forests of the future

Published January 26, 2026 by Gesche Schifferdecker

Across Europe, landscapes are quietly changing. Mountain farms and pastures are being abandoned, forest management is easing in some regions, and climate and policy pressures are reshaping how land is used. For some, these trends raise concerns. For others, they open a powerful question: where could nature return, at scale, if we let it?

Continue readingWhere Europe could rewild: mapping the forests of the future
Leave a Comment
Forschungspreis für Citizen Science 2025: 1. Platz für das Projekt PlanBirke plus CBirke und Biodiversität

Forschungspreis für Citizen Science 2025: 1. Platz für das Projekt PlanBirke plus C

Published November 10, 2025 by Gesche Schifferdecker

Bürger*innen erforschen den Waldwandel – Klimawirksamkeit, Biodiversität & Wasserhaushalt Das Forschungsinstitut für Bergbaufolgelandschaften (FIB) wurde mit dem 1. Platz des „Wissen der Vielen – Forschungspreis…

Continue readingForschungspreis für Citizen Science 2025: 1. Platz für das Projekt PlanBirke plus C
Leave a Comment
The Forest Carbon Monitoring project: Tools and insights to combat climate changeForest Carbon Monitoring Project

The Forest Carbon Monitoring project: Tools and insights to combat climate change

Published September 16, 2025 by Rosa Castañeda

Discover how innovative satellite and field-based tools are helping decision-makers protect forests and mitigate climate change, and hear from real users putting them into practice. …

Continue readingThe Forest Carbon Monitoring project: Tools and insights to combat climate change
Leave a Comment
Jogging through the forests of our future: How Europe is headed towards Integrative Forest Management

Jogging through the forests of our future: How Europe is headed towards Integrative Forest Management

Published August 26, 2025 by Rahel Könen

Article written by Florian Schnabel (University of Freiburg) I often go running in the hills surrounding Freiburg, Germany. The jogging trails stretch from the Rhine valley to…

Continue readingJogging through the forests of our future: How Europe is headed towards Integrative Forest Management
Leave a Comment