Closer-to-Nature Forest Management

Abstract

The report benefited from the helpful comments from three external reviewers, Fernando Valladares from the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Janez Potočnik, ThinkForest President and co-chair of the International Resource Panel, and an anonymous reviewer. We wish to express our thanks for their insights and comments that helped to improve the report, and acknowledge that they are in no way responsible for any remaining errors.Closer-to-Nature Forest Management 3. Use adaptive management as a way to tackle uncertainties: We need to regularly monitor forest responses to management interventions, evaluate these responses and adjust management strategies accordingly.A similar adaptive approach is urgently required to evaluate the impact of policy measures and support mechanisms proposed to encourage adoption of Closer-to-Nature Forest Management. Not a quick-fix, long-term measures are needed:The introduction of Closer-to-Nature Forest Management is not a 'quick-fix' and policy makers must provide long-term and consistent support measures to encourage forest managers and other stakeholders to adopt this strategy. Support for forest owners for training and application of the strategy is key. Review existing subsidy and taxation regimes for private owners:Convincing private owners to follow this approach will require the creation of schemes that reward them for providing ecosystem services. Closer-to-Nature Forest Management has the potential to support biodiversity, adapt forests to climate change and provide ecosystem services to a higher level than conventional forest management. There is an urgent need to review existing subsidy and taxation regimes affecting private forestry, and to consider how these might be changed to further the uptake of Closer-to-Nature Forest Management. Develop and use new technologies and tools:There is a need to harmonize monitoring systems and to develop and use new technologies and tools (GIS, GPS and remote sensing) to ease management of these more diverse and structure-rich forests.Finally, there are still some uncertainties about the effect of certain elements of Closer-to-Nature Forest Management on biodiversity conservation and ecosystem health, and how they will affect other ecosystem services including wood production under different management conditions throughout Europe. This calls for more collective learning, experimentation and research.

Challenges and Solutions for Forest Biodiversity Conservation in Sweden: Assessment of Policy, Implementation Outputs, and Consequences

“…A foundation for formulation of strategic goals for how much area ought to be devoted to conservation requires a thorough understanding of the composition, structure and function of forest ecosystems in time and space. This includes forest landscape history, e.g., [170][171][172], the emergence of the natural disturbance regime concept in forest policy and management, e.g., [86,[173][174][175], and the insight that cultural woodlands are also important habitats for forest species, e.g., [176]. These research novelties were indeed incorporated in the discussion about biodiversity conservation as the policy implementation process evolved [61].…”

“…In addition, there was a long-term restoration target of an additional 4%, thus about 10% in total. However, to reach the 20% longterm conservation target, it was assumed that improved voluntary conservation through application of increased proportions of other forest management systems than rotation forestry based on the clear-felling system, and higher levels of retention of natural forest structures, would be applied [86,174].…”

“…A long series of articles discuss this for both forestry and agriculture [20,[417][418][419][420], often based on three variants [421,422] (Figure 8). [174,422]). Integration ("Land Sharing") Conservation considerations for various forestry measures during a rotation period is an attempt to integrate species conservation and timber production [96,[423][424][425] (Figure 8).…”

A new paradigm for sustainable forest management: closeR to nature forest management

“…Partendo da queste considerazioni l'EFI (European Forest Institute) ha realizzato un documento (Larsen et al 2022) che ha analizzato lo stato dell'arte della letteratura scientifica e delle modalità di applicazione della selvicoltura prossima alla natura a scala europea. Questo documento è stato redatto da 17 ricercatori provenienti da 14 nazioni e rappresentativi di un gradiente latitudinale, ma anche culturale, che attraversa l'Europa dalle foreste mediterranee a quelle boreali.…”

“…Secondo il gruppo di lavoro (Larsen et al 2022) la selvicoltura più prossima alla natura è un "ombrello che riguarda tutti gli approcci e le terminologie che sotto gli auspici della Gestione Forestale Sostenibile (SFM) supportano la biodiversità, la resilienza e l'adattamento climatico a scala di popolamento forestale ed a scala di paesaggio". La selvicoltura più prossima alla natura "promuove componenti, strutture e processi caratteristici delle foreste naturali e dei boschi naturali, migliorando così la diversità delle specie e delle strutture arboree e la conservazione e lo sviluppo di biotopi con una particolare attenzione ad alberi habitat e legno morto".…”