Uncategorized – Resilience Blog

Participation and Integration – Forest Management in Slovenia

by Gesche SchifferdeckerJanuary 10, 2019January 10, 2019 Leave a comment

Simon Poljanšek, you are the new Slovenian national focal point for the European Network INTEGRATE. Would you please introduce yourself?

Growing up on a small farm, surrounded by forest and animals, it was easy for me to connect with nature and outdoor activities, road cycling, photography, animals, and becoming a family man. An obvious choice was to study at the University of Ljubljana Biotechnical Faculty, Department for Forestry and Renewable Forest Resources. I successfully finished my studies there with a rewarded diploma thesis on the analysis of the amount and structure of deadwood in Slovenian forests. My education continued with a doctoral thesis on dendrochronological investigation of Black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold) in the Balkan Peninsula, which I conducted at the Slovenian Forestry Institute. I used different tree-ring parameters (widths, density and stable isotopes) to investigate the influence of climate (temperature, sunshine, precipitation, river hydrology) or other extreme events (forest fires) on trees, growing in various environments from mountainous sites to urban surroundings.

What are you currently working on in the Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food?

The knowledge obtained on this path I described above is now used for monitoring contents and procedures of forest management plans, and assessing forest resources. Furthermore, I use my scientific experience to review targeted research projects, and to collaborate with my team in the development of the “LULUCF” national forestry accounting plan. Finally, a crucial part of my work is to cooperate in different governmental and other institutional associations with the aim of developing system solutions for the sustainable development of forests ecosystems, resilience and biodiversity, alongside with environmental, production and social forests functions.

Report from the Forum On Catalan Wildfire Research

by Alexander HeldDecember 27, 2018December 21, 2018 Leave a comment

The Pau Costa Foundation (PCF) and its partners and network form the Wildfire Thematic node within our joint European Forest Risk Facility initiative. PCF called for a Forum meeting on Catalan Wildfire Research on November 6th 2018 in Barcelona. Since Catalonia´s wildfire community is always good for inspiration and pioneering approaches, we would like to share the results here with you.

During one intense and enriching day, the Forum gathered around 80 participants and 45 speakers, presenting and discussing about the ongoing research and management challenges in Catalonia and beyond. Practitioners and scientist from Catalonia exchanged actual scientific results and current needs.

The motivation of the Forum raises from a well-known gap in the collaboration framework between researchers and forest/fire managers. In fact, these two groups are closer than they have ever been in the last 20 years, yet there is not enough collaboration to have one single voice on wildfire challenges, needs and solutions to reach out efficiently to politicians and society. This is not only a regional or national challenge, but a global one that requires immediate attention by the communities. Events like the Forum on Catalan Wildfire research should be replicated in other regions with the same purpose.

From this meeting we have accomplished the eight key points that were drawn from the discussions. We have published them in our PCF blog. Furthermore, all presentations, videos and information about the participant research groups of the Forum are available in the Lessons on Fire.

If you have not yet registered, take this opportunity to engage and discover the wildfire community, where you will be able to share, discuss and get to know people from all around the world here here.

Ökologischer Waldumbau in deutschem Grafenwald

by Gesche SchifferdeckerDecember 10, 2018December 4, 2018 Leave a comment

Von Fichtenwald zu Mischwald, von purem Holzeinschlag zu ökologischem Campingplatz und Waldfriedhof – die Grafenfamilie von Hatzfeld setzt seit über 20 Jahren ein beeindruckendes Waldumbau-Projekt um. Mit den Herausforderungen für WaldbesitzerInnen in Deutschland, mit der Balance zwischen Holzernte und Artenschutz, mit Sturmschäden und sogenannten”Ökosystemdienstleistungen” beschäftigt sich die spannende SWR-Dokumentation Die Waldgrafen und der Sturm – Familie von Hatzfeldt erfindet ihren Forst neu. Der etwa 30-minütige Film nimmt dabei sowohl Aspekte der nachhaltigen und vielfältigen Waldnutzung als auch Naturschutz sowie das Ziel der langfristigen Resilienz des Privatwaldes gegen (klimabedingte) Störungen in den Blick.

Together for forests in sustainable cities

by Rik De VreeseDecember 6, 2018December 4, 2018 Leave a comment

EFI and EFUF combining strengths to facilitate urban forest-based solutions employment in Europe

The majority of Europeans are now living in cities and urban agglomerations, facing several environmental issues – including climate change. However, cities are also major drivers and facilitators in finding solutions for handling these challenges. Urban forests – trees, woodlands and forests in and around cities – can play an important role in the transition towards urban resilience and a green and sustainable economy.

Building on their mutual strengths, the European Forest Institute (EFI) and the European Forum on Urban Forestry (EFUF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding strategic collaboration on research and policy in the field of urban forestry on Friday, 30th November 2018. This collaboration will further the understanding of the potential of urban forests, forestry, nature-, and bio-based solutions in supporting the development of sustainable cities. Both organisations will jointly develop a strategic approach to facilitate the employment of urban forest-based solutions in European cities, through coordinated communication, research and development efforts. Throughout the collaboration, EFI’s forest-based scientific experience and its European-wide science-policy network and EFUF’s multidisciplinary network with local authorities, practitioners and researchers will be complementary in developing a stronger discourse on urban forest-based solutions.

A first common initiative developed within the MoU framework, is the launch of the Call for Abstracts for the 22nd session of the European Forum on Urban Forestry in Cologne (Germany). The EFUF2019 conference has been branded “Urban Forests: Full of Energy” and will focus on the role of urban forests as providers of energy, both through woody biomass and through physical activity, art, learning and collaborative working. EFUF is organised at the “Waldlabor” (Forestlab) in Cologne, which is a magnificent place for exchanging knowledge based on participatory science and experiments.

Veranstaltung “Waldbau und Waldbewirtschaftung im Klimawandel”

by Gesche SchifferdeckerDecember 4, 2018 Leave a comment

Neue Instrumente für den Waldbesitz in Nordrhein-Westfalen

Angesichts der Veränderungen, die sich aus Klimawandel, Digitalisierung und neuen gesellschaftlichen Ansprüchen ergeben, benötigt die Waldbewirtschaftung effektive IT-unterstützte Management-Instrumente. Im Rahmen der Veranstaltung “Waldbau und Waldbewirtschaftung im Klimawandel” stellt das Ministerium für Umwelt, Landwirtschaft, Natur- und Verbraucherschutz des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen (MULNV) am Freitag, den 7. Dezember 2018 in Düsseldorf neue Hilfestellungen des Landes vor, mit denen der Waldbesitz auf die Herausforderungen reagieren kann: das Waldbaukonzept NRW, die landesweite forstliche Standortkarte und das neue Internetportal Waldinfo.NRW.

Bayern: Der Ökologie mehr Gewicht verleihen?

by Alexander HeldDecember 4, 2018December 4, 2018 Leave a comment

Ich möchte hier eine kürzlich publizierte Pressemitteilung im Holzzentralblatt teilen und kommentieren.

Koalition in Bayern lehnt dritten Nationalpark ab
“Wir wollen überall in Bayern der Ökologie mehr Gewicht verleihen und setzen auf die Stärkung der Naturparks. Einen dritten Nationalpark werden wir nicht realisieren”, heißt es im Koalitionsvertrag, den CSU und Freie Wähler am 5. November unterzeichnet haben. Aber auch: “Wir nehmen dauerhaft rund 10% der staatlichen Waldflächen als nutzungsfreie Naturschutzflächen und Naturwaldflächen von der forstwirtschaftlichen Nutzung aus.” Die Flächen für Vertragsnaturschutz sollen verdoppelt werden. Am unlängst verlängerten “Waldpakt” soll festgehalten werden. Weiter heißt es: “Wir setzen uns das Ziel, bis zum Jahr 2030 rund 200.000 ha klimatolerante Wälder zu schaffen. Wir wollen den Holzbau fördern und die Marktabsatzchancen auch für das Laubholz erhöhen. Waldbesitzer, Holzhändler und Sägewerke sind wichtige Partner bei der Bewirtschaftung der Wälder und der Vermarktung des Holzes.”

Ireland: deer management in native woodlands

by Alexander HeldNovember 28, 2018November 27, 2018 Leave a comment

The management of deer in native woodlands has become a central issue in recent years. This is primarily due to increasing deer populations, the expansion of forest area through afforestation, introductions of new deer species and the re-distribution/transportation of extant naturalized deer species. Native and broad-leaved woodlands are particularly vulnerable to deer damage through browsing, grazing pressure, fraying and bole scoring. Conservation and wood quality objectives can be seriously compromised.
Negative ecological impacts from excessive deer pressure on woodland structure and ground vegetation community composition has negative knock-on effects on all other assemblages including invertebrates, birds, mammals and soil fauna. Conversely, a sustainable deer presence has positive ecological impacts and recreational value, especially as revenue through game management can be appreciable to woodland owners.

France on the barricade against deforestation

by Jakob DerksNovember 20, 2018November 20, 2018 Leave a comment

France has just adopted a new national strategy to restrict the import of forest-related products from areas that struggle with deforestation. Contrary to the more positive trends in Europe, the global forest area has decreased by 129 million hectares between 1990 and 2015, according to FAO data. This corresponds to twice the surface of France.

The strategy focuses on three main topics and three regions. The first and biggest problem is the cattle ranching and large-scale soy production in parts of Latin America, leading to vast deforested areas. The import of soy from that region to Europe represents 60% of the import with a high deforestation risk. The main issue in South-East Asia is the replacement of tropical rain forest by unsustainably managed oil palm plantations, accounting for 12% of the high-risk imported goods. Finally, the challenge facing West-Africa is cocoa production, which represents 8% of the problematic import.

These three goods together account for 80% of the deforestation-related import to the EU. The battle against illegally logged timber, thanks to initiatives such as the EUTR, FLEGT, REDD+ and GTTN, is in full swing. We should however not forget that the majority of global deforestation is caused by other consumable goods.

The strategy comprises 17 planned, built around bilateral cooperation, developing road maps and restricting imports from regions at risk of deforestation. The full strategy can be consulted here (in French).

Forest in sight!

by Jakob DerksNovember 14, 2018November 15, 2018 Leave a comment

The Kottenforst, a forest of over 4000 hectares large that together with the Siebengebirge on the opposite side of the Rhine, holds Bonn in a green embrace. So close yet so unknown to some. The Kottenforst dominates and clearly delineates the west of the city, perched on the Venusberg, a southern hill of the Ville massif. It is even visible from our EFI office.

Waldbrände in Kalifornien – von Reaktion zur Prävention?

by Gesche SchifferdeckerNovember 12, 2018November 19, 2018 Leave a comment

In Kalifornien sind Waldbrände relativ normal und gehören zur natürlichen Kreislauf der Vegetation. Zurzeit nehmen sie aber – selbst für kalifornische Bedingungen und vor allem für die Jahreszeit – extreme Ausmaße an, berichtete heute das WDR-Magazin Quarks in seinem Beitrag Waldbrände in Kalifornien – wie man vorbeugen kann. Gleich mehrere Flächenbrände wüten im Bundesstaat, über 6.700 Hektar Land und fast 7000 Häuser sind bereits abgebrannt. Mit Malibu ist auch ein Prominenten-Viertel von Los Angeles betroffen. Etwa 8.000 Feuerwehrleute sind im Einsatz, und US-Präsident Donald Trump beschuldigt ihn seinen Tweets sowohl die Privatwaldbesitzer als auch den amerikanischen Forest Service, dass dieser Präventionsmaßnahmen unterlassen habe und deswegen eine Mitschuld an den Waldbränden trage.

Die Autorin des Beitrags, Wissenschaftsjournalistin Anne Preger, hat unseren EFI-Waldbrandexperten Alexander Held zu Brandursachen, zur Arbeit des US Forest Service, und zu langfristig nötigen Präventionsmaßnahmen befragt.

Pregers differenzierten, ca. 7-minütigen Beitrag kann man hier hören.

Darüber hinaus wurde Alexander Held auch live per Skype einer Sendung des Online-Journals BILD Aktuell der BILD Zeitung zugeschaltet. Ab ca. Minute 17 ist das Interview mit Held hier zu sehen.

Im Interview mit dem WDR 2 äußert sich Held u.a. zu Risikominimierung, Brennmaterial und den Fehlern, die man bei der Landnutzung in Kalifornien gemacht hat: