Climate Change and Wildlife Damage Put Forests Under Pressure

Countermeasures include the rejuvenation of forests, reforestation with "climate-resilient" plants, and measures to reduce wildlife damage.

"Our goal is to prepare the forest for the next 100 years"

The occasion for the press conference was the release of the 2024 Wildlife Damage Report and the Austrian forest inventory conducted by the Federal Research Center for Forests (BFW) on a total of 11,000 sample plots across the country. "Our goal is to prepare the forest for the next 100 years," said Totschnig.

For this, the primary focus is on forest rejuvenation. This means that open areas are replanted as quickly as possible and overaged forests are renewed. "For carbon storage, the rejuvenation of forests is indispensable," said Totschnig. This is because most carbon is bound by forest stands aged between 41 and 60 years. Rejuvenation is promoted, for example, through the Forest Fund, which has already supported the reforestation of over 26.3 million "climate-resilient forest plants."

"The climate-resilient forest is a diverse forest"

In view of future climate conditions, there is a greater focus on mixed stands with suitable tree species. "The climate-resilient forest is a diverse forest," said BFW Director Peter Mayer. This is also reflected in the figures: the proportion of coniferous wood decreased by eight percent, while the proportion of deciduous and mixed wood increased.

In addition, the results presented in the wildlife damage report have shown that further efforts are needed to create balanced forest-wildlife relationships, said Totschnig. For example, the proportion of forest areas in need of rejuvenation with wildlife damage has increased in both commercial and protective forests. On average, 40 percent of the areas showed wildlife damage.

However, there are also indications of a possible trend reversal: In 39 districts, there was a decrease in the influence of wildlife on forest rejuvenation compared to the previous period 2019-2022; in 34 districts, an increase was recorded.

Expansion of Wildlife Damage Report

Furthermore, the wildlife damage report was expanded this year and is intended to show "best practice examples" and concrete countermeasures in addition to the overall condition. "A key success factor was talking to each other on site," said Mayer. This is due to very different local trends and conditions. The solution models were developed in discussions with all parties involved - from forest owners to hunters to tourism officials.

Another tool for forest restructuring is the so-called dynamic forest typology, which was carried out in Styria in cooperation with the BFW. Digital maps were created and provided with data sets. "This allows us to precisely determine the location for each individual hectare of forest in Styria," explained the Styrian Regional Councillor for Agriculture and Forestry Simone Schmiedtbauer (ÖVP).

This provides forest owners with information about which tree species will have the best prospects of success at which location in the future. Such a linkage of data from research and practice is crucial to efficiently advance forest restructuring.

(APA/Red)

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