Forest Moves to the Center of Society Due to Climate Change

Approximately 50 percent of Austria's area is currently covered by forests, an exceptionally high proportion in an international context, as was announced at Boku on Monday. After a long period of intensive forest use, it became necessary about 150 years ago to focus more on scientific studies in the field of forestry, explained Hubert Hasenauer, head of the Institute of Silviculture at Boku.

"Rebound" for Forest in Europe after "Devastations"

Subsequently, cheap energy from fossil fuels reduced the pressure - and Europe's forests achieved a "rebound" after the "devastations." Now, upheavals are once again on the horizon: The Austrian Federal Forests (ÖBf) had to bear around 35 million euros in "climate change costs" on average in recent years - in 2024, it was even more than 49 million, as Roland Kautz from Bundesforste AG said. The ÖBf manage 15 percent of the domestic forest area for the Republic, around 80 percent is privately owned.

Unlike many other people, the forestry sector welcomes "every nasty spring" with snow, low temperatures, and rain. This somewhat curbs the warmth-loving bark beetles, according to Kautz. They particularly thrive when they encounter spruces stressed by drought. These are prominently represented in Austria on about 500,000 hectares, where they are not actually native due to environmental conditions, said Hasenauer. There are good economic reasons for this, but ecologically it is becoming increasingly difficult with rising average temperatures. A stressed, thinned, and weakened predominantly spruce forest can also fulfill its protective function correspondingly worse.

The Federal Forests will reduce the spruce proportion on all their areas from 57 to 37 percent by 2100, explained Kautz. How things proceed on the other areas is up to the private owners, emphasized the Styrian Economic Councillor Willibald Ehrenhöfer (ÖVP). Research and politics offer diverse support. There needs to be an intensive exchange between science and business - and a further infiltration of the realization that the forest, also from a societal perspective, is "completely undervalued."

"No Recipe Solution" for the Forest of the Future

Adapting to climate change can only be solved collectively, said Jana Pirolt from the association "Land&Forst Betriebe Österreich." Which tree species should be planted when and where cannot be completely answered from today's perspective, according to the consensus among experts. Hasenauer: "There is no recipe solution." However, it is clear: The trend must go towards "risk minimization through diversification" - that is, towards the use of various tree species.

This is already happening, explained Elfriede Anna Moser, head of section in the Ministry of Agriculture. Statistics show that mixed forests are on the rise. In tandem with research, future tree compositions are currently being tested on around 500 demonstration areas. How, for example, Douglas fir, red oak, or cedar behave in our regions under the new temperature and precipitation regime is being intensively studied by forestry scientists. "The topic is complicated but exciting," said Hasenauer.

There are certainly no concerns about young talent in the forestry science sector: Last year, 174 students started their studies at Boku, said Rector Eva Schulev-Steindl. If you combine all studies with a stronger forest focus, you get almost 1,000 students. The proportion of women is increasing and is around 35 percent.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.