Review of policy instruments for climate-smart mountain forestry

Implementing the Climate-Smart Forestry (CSF) concept into practice requires interaction among key stakeholders, especially forest owners and managers, policymakers (or regulators in general), forest consultants, and forest users. But what could be the most effective policy instruments to achieve climate smartness in mountain forests? Which ones would be the most acceptable for forest owners? And for the local forest communities? Should they be designed and implemented with the use of participatory approaches or rather on a top-down basis? This chapter summarizes key policy instruments structured in three subsequent categories: commandand-control, voluntary market-based instruments, and community cooperation. It provides examples of their functioning in the forestry sector and discusses their suitability for the implementation of climate smart forestry. It appears that there are many policy instruments used with varying degrees of success such as forest concessions or voluntary certifcation schemes. A wide range of instruments are responding to direct regulation; this has been seen as insuffcient to deal with natural hazards and calamities.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

European Mixed Forests: definition and research perspectives

peer-reviewedAim of study: We aim at (i) developing a reference definition of mixed forests in order to harmonize comparative research in mixed forests and (ii) briefly review the research perspectives in mixed forests. Area of study: The definition is developed in Europe but can be tested worldwide. Material and methods: Review of existent definitions of mixed forests based and literature review encompassing dynamics, management and economic valuation of mixed forests. Main results: A mixed forest is defined as a forest unit, excluding linear formations, where at least two tree species coexist at any developmental stage, sharing common resources (light, water, and/or soil nutrients). The presence of each of the component species is normally quantified as a proportion of the number of stems or of basal area, although volume, biomass or canopy cover as well as proportions by occupied stand area may be used for specific objectives. A variety of structures and patterns of mixtures can occur, and the interactions between the component species and their relative proportions may change over time. The research perspectives identified are (i) species interactions and responses to hazards, (ii) the concept of maximum density in mixed forests, (iii) conversion of monocultures to mixed-species forest and (iv) economic valuation of ecosystem services provided by mixed forests. Research highlights: The definition is considered a high-level one which encompasses previous attempts to define mixed forests. Current fields of research indicate that gradient studies, experimental design approaches, and model simulations are key topics providing new research opportunities.The networking in this study has been supported by COST Action FP1206 EuMIXFOR

What is Climate-Smart Forestry? A definition from a multinational collaborative process focused on mountain regions of Europe

Climate-Smart Forestry (CSF) is an emerging branch of sustainable forest management that aims to manage forests in response to climate change. Specific CSF strategies are viewed as a way forward for developing suitable management responses and enhancing the provision of ecosystem services. However, there is currently a lack of comprehensive and cohesive assessment to implement CSF. This paper describes the step-by-step process that developed a comprehensive and shared definition of CSF, and the process for selecting indicators that assess the “climate-smartness” of forest management. Adaptation, mitigation and social dimensions are the core focus of the CSF definition, which recognises the need to integrate and avoid development of these aspects in isolation. An iterative participatory process was used with a range of experts in forest-related fields from the CLIMO project, this was subsequently supported by a network analysis to identify sustainable forest management indicators important to CSF. The definition developed here, is an important first step in to promote CSF that will aid practice in the forestry sector. It can be used as a template across Europe, tailored to local contexts. Further work communicating CSF to practitioners and policy-makers will create a CSF practice and culture that will help to safeguard future forest economies and communities

Mixed forests and ecosystem services: Investigating stakeholders' perceptions in a case study in the Polish Carpathians

Mixed forests are thought to provide a wide range of ecosystem services for human well-being and their effectiveness, compared to monocultures, is broadly recognized in the literature. Mixed forests may increase the multifunctionality, providing a wide range of ecosystem services such as hazard protection, carbon sequestration, nature conservation and landscape values. Before undertaking a process of conversion of monocultures into mixed forests it is important to learn about perceptions of local stakeholders for mixed forests in comparison to monocultures, in order to understand their needs and identify possible sources of conflicts. In the present work, we investigate the personal perceptions about the effectiveness of mixed forests when compared to monocultures, in terms of provisioning of ecosystem services, with the aid of an ordered logit model. In addition, we highlight the fact that belonging to a particular category of organized stakeholders contribute to perceive mixed forests positively, compared to non-organized local dwellers. Results show that people acknowledging the importance of some non-productive forest ecosystem services are more likely to prefer mixed forests. Moreover, personal attitudes towards ecosystem services seem to be much more related to the degree of preference for mixed forests than other socio-economic variables, such as gender and education. Finally, another evidence of this contribution is that belonging to a precisely defined group of stakeholders considerably increases the probability to prefer mixed forests, compared to ordinary citizens. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserve

Silviculture of Mixed Forests: A European Overview of Current Practices and Challenges

Currently, about 70% of the forest land in Europe is covered by stands composed of two or more tree species. The similar situation can be found outside Europe too. While forest management of monocultures is well described multispecies forests still need a better understanding to develop appropriate forest practice. Managing mixed forests can be more complex than managing monocultures because of the need to optimize the provision of multiple benefits according to the societal demands including sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

Defining Climate-Smart Forestry

17openInternational coauthor/editorClimate-Smart Forestry (CSF) is a developing concept to help policymakers and practitioners develop focused forestry governance and management to adapt to and mitigate climate change. Within the EU COST Action CA15226, CLIMO (Climate-Smart Forestry in Mountain Regions), a CSF definition was developed considering three main pillars: (1) adaptation to climate change, (2) mitigation of climate change, and (3) the social dimension. Climate mitigation occurs through carbon (C) sequestration by trees, C storage in vegetation and soils, and C substitution by wood. However, present and future climate mitigation depends on the adaptation of trees, woods, and forests to adapt to climate change, which is also driven by societal change.Criteria and Indicators (C & I) can be used to assess the climate smartness of forestry in different conditions, and over time. A suite of C & I that quantify the climate smartness of forestry practices has been developed by experts as guidelines for CSF. This chapter charts the development of this definition, presents initial feedback from forest managers across Europe, and discusses other gaps and uncertainties, as well as potential future perspectives for the further evolution of this concept.openWeatherall, Andrew; Nabuurs, Gert-Jan; Velikova, Violeta; Santopuoli, Giovanni; Neroj, Bożydar; Bowditch, Euan; Temperli, Christian; Binder, Franz; Ditmarová, L’ubica; Jamnická, Gabriela; Lesinski, Jerzy; La Porta, Nicola; Pach, Maciej; Panzacchi, Pietro; Sarginci, Murat; Serengil, Yusuf; Tognetti, RobertoWeatherall, A.; Nabuurs, G.; Velikova, V.; Santopuoli, G.; Neroj, B.; Bowditch, E.; Temperli, C.; Binder, F.; Ditmarová, L.; Jamnická, G.; Lesinski, J.; La Porta, N.; Pach, M.; Panzacchi, P.; Sarginci, M.; Serengil, Y.; Tognetti, R

European Mixed Forests: definition and research perspectives

Aim of study: We aim at (i) developing a reference definition of mixed forests in order to harmonize comparative research in mixed forests and (ii) briefly review the research perspectives in mixed forests. Area of study: The definition is developed in Europe but can be tested worldwide. Material and methods: Review of existent definitions of mixed forests based and literature review encompassing dynamics, management and economic valuation of mixed forests. Main results: A mixed forest is defined as a forest unit, excluding linear formations, where at least two tree species coexist at any developmental stage, sharing common resources (light, water, and/or soil nutrients). The presence of each of the component species is normally quantified as a proportion of the number of stems or of basal area, although volume, biomass or canopy cover as well as proportions by occupied stand area may be used for specific objectives. A variety of structures and patterns of mixtures can occur, and the interactions between the component species and their relative proportions may change over time. The research perspectives identified are (i) species interactions and responses to hazards, (ii) the concept of maximum density in mixed forests, (iii) conversion of monocultures to mixed-species forest and (iv) economic valuation of ecosystem services provided by mixed forests. Research highlights: The definition is considered a high-level one which encompasses previous attempts to define mixed forests. Current fields of research indicate that gradient studies, experimental design approaches, and model simulations are key topics providing new research opportunities.The networking in this study has been supported by COST Action FP1206 EuMIXFOR