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Synergies and Trade-Offs between Nature Conservation and Climate Mitigation in...
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Synergies and Trade-Offs between Nature Conservation and Climate Mitigation in European Beech Forests

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (19 July 2024) | Viewed by 6898

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Thomas Dirnböck

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department for Ecosystem Research and Monitoring, Federal Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Interests: forest ecology; nitrogen and carbon cycling; biodiversity; forest understory vegetation; air pollution impacts in forests; long-term ecosystem research; LTER; ecological modelling
Dr. Robert Jandl

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department Forest Ecology, Austrian Forest Research Center (BFW), Seckendorff Gudent Weg 8, A 1130 Vienna, Austria
Interests: forestry; soil; soil carbon
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hanns Kirchmeir

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
E.C.O. Institute for Ecology, Lakeside B07b, 9020 Klagenfurt, Austria
Interests: European beech forests; old-growth forest; ecosystem services

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With its EU Green Deal, the European Commission provides a strategy to face two of the most critical challenges of our time—the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis. Since forests sequester a significant share of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions from fossil fuel burning and preserve diverse forest habitats for a multitude of species, they are considered to play a significant role in reaching the targets of the strategy. However, is it actually possible to truly integrate climate and biodiversity objectives in forests—and if so, how? With this Special Issue, we provide the floor to reconcile scientific and stakeholder controversies in order to put different views into a state-of-the-art scientific perspective. We focus on European beech (dominant and mixed) forests. Because beech is widespread, it has been replaced by other species such as the Norway spruce in many regions, and as it is affected by drought, it is currently being promoted as an adaptation to climatic changes. In addition, beech forests include priority habitats and species according to the EU’s Flora, Fauna, and Habitats Directive. We aim to include studies addressing the entire breadth of the challenges: beech forest sensitivity as well as adaptation to climate change, beech forests as GHG sinks, beech wood technology and marketing, beech forest conservation and biodiversity studies and specifically integrated management for climate mitigation and biodiversity.

Dr. Thomas Dirnböck
Dr. Robert Jandl
Dr. Hanns Kirchmeir
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • European beech
  • Fagus sylvatica
  • climate mitigation
  • greenhouse gas
  • forest biodiversity
  • forest nature conservation
  • forest management
  • forest adaptation
  • beech wood

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1565 KiB  
Article
European Beech Forests in Austria—Current Distribution and Possible Future Habitat
by Robert Jandl, Cecilie Birgitte Foldal, Thomas Ledermann and Georg Kindermann
Forests 2023, 14(10), 2019; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14102019 - 8 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1498
Abstract
A change in tree species composition in Central Europe to increase the resilience of forests when coping with climate change effects is imminent. We evaluated the present and expected future role of the European beech, (Fagus sylvatica L.), with respect to the [...] Read more.
A change in tree species composition in Central Europe to increase the resilience of forests when coping with climate change effects is imminent. We evaluated the present and expected future role of the European beech, (Fagus sylvatica L.), with respect to the expansion of its habitat and its stem. We assessed the current relevance of beech from data of the Austrian Forest Inventory 2007/09, and analyzed forest policies promoting the establishment of beech forests. We simulated forest growth with the model CALDIS, linked with the timber-market model FOHOW2. We used a business-as-usual (BAU) forest management strategy under moderate (RCP 4.5 BAU) or extreme (RCP 8.5 BAU) climate change. We also simulated an extreme climate change scenario with a forced change in the tree species composition (RCP 8.5 Change Species). Beech occurs in Austrian forests over the elevational gradient of 250 to 1600 m a.s.l. In low elevation, it forms beech-dominated forests, often for the supply of the domestic fuelwood demand. In mountain regions, beech enriches the diversity of Norway spruce, (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.)-dominated forests. In a BAU setting, the habitat of beech increases only slightly in both climate scenarios. The scenario ‘RCP 8.5 Change Species’ increases the habitat of beech in the next 60 years considerably. With progressing warming, other broadleaved tree species gain relevance. The vulnerability to drought and pathogens are limiting factors for Austrian beech forests. The future habitat depends on many factors such as the ability of forests to cope with climate change, the confidence to arising market opportunities of beech timber in the wake of technological progress, and financial and non-financial incentives for the implementation of adaptive forest management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synergies and Trade-Offs between Nature Conservation and Climate Mitigation in European Beech Forests)
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Review

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13 pages, 1698 KiB  
Review
The Utilization of European Beech Wood (Fagus sylvatica L.) in Europe
by Maximilian Pramreiter and Michael Grabner
Forests 2023, 14(7), 1419; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14071419 - 11 Jul 2023
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3324
Abstract
European beech is one of the dominating wood species in central Europe and the most abundant hardwood species in Austrian, German and Swiss forests. Today, it is predominantly used for the provision of energy and in the furniture industry. With the increasing demand [...] Read more.
European beech is one of the dominating wood species in central Europe and the most abundant hardwood species in Austrian, German and Swiss forests. Today, it is predominantly used for the provision of energy and in the furniture industry. With the increasing demand on forests to provide sustainable raw materials for energy as well as products, the importance of lesser-used wood species like European beech has continuously increased over the last decade. The application in load-bearing products has gained significant interest. In order to connect the current and historical state of knowledge about this wood species, this review provides an overview of the past and present utilization of European beech wood. On the basis of the historical literature, technical approvals and standards of established products, it aims to summarize the extensive state of the art of this wood species and provide an overview of recent scientific publications in the field of wood material science. Based on the reviewed literature, current research efforts deal with different engineered wood products like glued laminated timber, cross-laminated timber and laminated veneer lumber. Furthermore, strength grading, adhesive technology as well as improving dimensional stability is of particular interest. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synergies and Trade-Offs between Nature Conservation and Climate Mitigation in European Beech Forests)
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Other

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8 pages, 1035 KiB  
Brief Report
In the Northeasternmost Stands in Europe, Beech Shows Similar Wind Resistance to Birch
by Oskars Krišāns, Roberts Matisons, Līga Jansone, Nauris Īstenais, Rolands Kāpostiņš, Silva Šēnhofa and Āris Jansons
Forests 2023, 14(2), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14020313 - 5 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1168
Abstract
The ongoing shifts in natural vegetation zones predict the expansion of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) into the Eastern Baltic region, suggesting it will become a potential alternative to birch (Betula pendula Roth. and Betula pubescens Ehrh.) in forest regeneration. For [...] Read more.
The ongoing shifts in natural vegetation zones predict the expansion of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) into the Eastern Baltic region, suggesting it will become a potential alternative to birch (Betula pendula Roth. and Betula pubescens Ehrh.) in forest regeneration. For a successful application of alternative forest regeneration material, an evaluation of susceptibility to natural disturbances (e.g., wind) is necessary for reliable projections of timber yield in the long term. This study compared the loading resistance of beech growing in the northeasternmost stands in Europe to local birch by applying the static tree-pulling test. Relationships between dimensions of aboveground parts and resistance against intrinsic wood damages (primary failure) and fatal (secondary) failure were similar between species. However, birch, which is more drought sensitive compared to beech, is suggested to have a higher susceptibility to post-storm legacy effects, supporting beech as a potential alternative to birch in terms of wind resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synergies and Trade-Offs between Nature Conservation and Climate Mitigation in European Beech Forests)
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