Impacts of Forest Management on Forest Bird Occurrence Patterns-A Case Study in Central Europe

The global increase in demand for wood products, calls for a more sustainable management of forests to optimize both the production of wood and the conservation of forest biodiversity. In this paper, we evaluate the status and future trends of forest birds in Central European forests, assuming different forest management scenarios that to a varying degree respond to the demand for wood production. To this end, we use niche models (Boosted Regression Trees and Generalized Linear Models) to model the responses of 15 forest bird species to predictors related to forest stand (e.g., stand volume of specific tree species) and landscape structure (e.g., percentage cover), and to climate (bioclimatic variables). We then define five distinct forest management scenarios, ranging from set-aside to productivity-driven scenarios, project them 100 years into the future, and apply our niche models into these scenarios to assess the birds' responses to different forest management alternatives. Our models show that the species' responses to management vary reflecting differences in their ecological niches, and consequently, no single management practice can benefit all species if applied across the whole landscape. Thus, we conclude that in order to promote the overall forest bird species richness in the study region, it is necessary to manage the forests in a multi-functional way, e.g., by spatially optimizing the management practices in the landscape

Climate targets in European timber-producing countries conflict with goals on forest ecosystem services and biodiversity

The role of increased timber harvests in reaching climate mitigation targets for European countries will be limited if the protection of forest ecosystem services and biodiversity is to be achieved, suggests an empirical forest model driven by future scenarios to limit warming to 1.5 degrees C in 2100.The European Union (EU) set clear climate change mitigation targets to reach climate neutrality, accounting for forests and their woody biomass resources. We investigated the consequences of increased harvest demands resulting from EU climate targets. We analysed the impacts on national policy objectives for forest ecosystem services and biodiversity through empirical forest simulation and multi-objective optimization methods. We show that key European timber-producing countries - Finland, Sweden, Germany (Bavaria) - cannot fulfil the increased harvest demands linked to the ambitious 1.5 degrees C target. Potentials for harvest increase only exists in the studied region Norway. However, focusing on EU climate targets conflicts with several national policies and causes adverse effects on multiple ecosystem services and biodiversity. We argue that the role of forests and their timber resources in achieving climate targets and societal decarbonization should not be overstated. Our study provides insight for other European countries challenged by conflicting policies and supports policymakers

Sustainable Research Management AUDI Award

The SRM Award has been issued by the Audi Foundation for Environment in 2010 for promoting great achievements in the field of sustainable resource management. It honours graduates in course Sustainable Resource Management of Technische Universität München (TUM) with great achievements

Boreal forest biomass classification with TanDEM-X

High spatial resolution X-band interferometric SAR data from the TanDEM-X, in the operational DEM generation mode, are sensitive to forest structure and can therefore be used for thematic boreal forest classification of forest environments. The interferometric coherence in absence of temporal decorrelation depends strongly on forest height and structure. Due to the rather homogenous structure of boreal forest, forest biomass can be derived from forest height, on the basis of allometric equations with sufficient accuracy to be used for thematic classification applications. Two test sites in mid- and southern Sweden are investigated. A maximum of 4 biomass classes, up to 250 Mg/ha, are achieved. Larger spatial baselines result in better classification performances

Estimating and Understanding Vertical Structure of Forests From Multibaseline TanDEM-X Pol-InSAR Data

TanDEM-X (TDX) forms with TerraSAR-X (TSX) the first single-pass synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometer in space with polarimetric capabilities. The availability of such system allows for the first time the acquisition and analysis of X-band Pol-InSAR data from space without the disturbing effect of temporal decorrelation. After two years of mission, time series with variable baseline over the same forest sites are available, allowing to (1) explore their information content, (2) assess penetration capabilities, (3) assess scattering model assumptions, and (4) estimate vertical structure and monitor its dynamics. This paper discusses for the first time the potential of estimating forest vertical structure from spaceborne single-pass interferometers, extending classical tomographic concepts. Results of first experiments with TSX/TDX multibaseline Pol-InSAR data acquired over the Tapajos national forest (Brazil) are shown. Especially regarding tropical forests, potentials and applications of X-band for forest structure monitoring will also be discussed