Managing European Alpine forests with close-to-nature forestry to improve climate change mitigation and multifunctionality

Blattert, Clemens (author), Mutterer, Simon (author), Thrippleton, Timothy (author), Diaci, Jurij (author), Fidej, Gal (author), Bont, Leo (author), Schweier, Janine (author)

Close-to-nature forestry (CNF) has a long tradition in European Alpine forest management, playing a crucial role in ensuring the continuous provision of biodiversity and forest ecosystem services, including protection against natural hazards. However, climate change is causing huge uncertainties about the future applicability of CNF in the Alpine region. The question arises as to whether current CNF practices are still suitable for adapting forests to climate change impacts while also meeting the increasing societal demands regarding Alpine forests, including their potential contribution to climate change mitigation. To answer this question, we simulated forest development using the ForClim forest model at two Alpine study sites, together representing a large biogeographic gradient from high-elevation inner Alpine forests (Switzerland) to lower-elevation south-eastern Alpine forests (Slovenia). The simulations considered three climate scenarios (historical climate, SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5) and six alternative management strategies, including both current CNF management practices and climate-adapted versions. Using an indicator based multi-criteria decision analysis framework, we assessed the joint impacts of climate and management on biodiversity and key ecosystem services of the investigated regions, including carbon sequestration (CS) inside and outside the forest ecosystem boundary. The joint effects of climate change and CNF varied, both among and within the study sites along the biogeographical gradient. While CS was more resistant to climate change under current CNF at the south-eastern Alpine site, it was more sensitive at the inner Alpine site, where CS potentials decreased at lower elevations. This adverse effect could be partly mitigated by fostering the use of climate-adapted tree species. However, current CNF and adaptations of it did not meet multiple management objectives equally well: while protection from gravitation hazards and timber production also benefited from this silvicultural practice, biodiversity benefited from CNF variants with low-intensity or no management. In conclusion, CNF has a high potential to continue fulfilling its crucial role in European Alpine forests. A differentiated approach will be needed in the future, however, to identify forest stands where adaptive measures are required, especially at sites particularly vulnerable to climate change. In combination with less intensively managed or unmanaged areas, CNF provides a management portfolio that will help European Alpine forests to meet the demands of future society.

• Language: English
• Keywords: forest management planning, forest modelling, multi-criteria decision analysis, biodiversity conservation, protection function, close-to-nature management
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 31.05.2024
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 1-16
• Numbering: Vol.ǂ 165, [article no.] ǂ112154
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-159198
• UDC: 630*61:504.7
• ISSN on article: 1872-7034
• DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.112154
• COBISS.SI-ID: 200476163
• Publication date in RUL: 03.07.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Ecological indicators
• Publisher: Elsevier Ltd.
• ISSN: 1872-7034
• COBISS.SI-ID: 84424195

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: gozdnogospodarsko načrtovanje, modeliranje gozdov, multikriterijsko odločanje, ohranjanje biotske raznovrstnosti, varovalna funkcija, sonaravno gospodarjenje

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Project number: 101000406
• Name: A Multi-Criteria Decision Support System For A Common Forest Management to Strengthen Forest Resilience, Harmonise Stakeholder Interests and Ensure Sustainable Wood Flows
• Acronym: ONEforest