Impacts of nature-oriented forest management assessed with a large-scale scenario model

Wageningen

2001

130 S.

Bandaufführung

90-32702-92-0

14426

76820

The aim of the work underlying this thesis was to develop an approach for making projections of the European forest resource. It was also to perform such analysis of the future development and management of European forests under possibly conflicting demands for nature and wood products, under the assumption that a change towards a nature-oriented forest management would become increasingly important. The approach taken was a quantitative modelling study of the forest resource, its management and the forest sector. The modelling involved simulating the development of a (delineated) forest area under alternative management regimes. This approach had to allow the outcome of alternative forest management regimes to be quantified, given certain national or European level goals. The outcomes had to provide reliable information on wood supply, biodiversity value as revealed by indicators, and the sustainability of the management. It was shown that a nature-oriented forest management is very feasible in European forests. The local changes in management will lead to higher biodiversity value at the sites where they are applied and will not lead to shortfalls in wood production in the short to medium term. A striking - quantified - finding is the interia of a large forst resource, i.e. (modest) changes in management affect the autonomous development of a forest resource to a certain extent only. Management changes beginning tody will only show a visible impact after some 5 to 6 decades. These characteristics of Europan forests provide owners and policy makers with considerable freedom in how to use their forests. Although the forest resourc in Europe is large and increasing, the results have shown that felling levels and mortality rates will be very close or in some cases above the net annual increment. This is paradoxical: a large and increasing forest resource, yet difficulties in producing sufficient amounts of wood to meet demand. Nature-oriented management not only leads to increased biodiversity values at the sites where it is applied, but may also endanger the sustainability of the forest management in other regions, because the same amount of wood has to be produced in a smaller area.