The climate crisis presents the Federal Forest for challenges

In order for the domestic forests to be better prepared against the effects of the climate crisis, they should be rebuilt. The forests climate to make and to secure biodiversity “Century project”said Schöppl.

Mixed forests rich in species

One of the most important levers for the “forest of the future” is that Composition of the tree species. The spruce content is supposed to decrease, that of other tree species. Already today there are increasing shares in fir, larch, beech and oak, which are better able to cope with the consequences of the climate crisis, said Federal Forest Board Andreas Gruber.

The spruce forest area has already shrunk by 17,000 hectares in the past 15 years. The proportion should be from current 60 to 40 percent go back. But that takes at least 60 years, says Gruber.

New tree species would have to be able to deal with the warmth better and can withstand late frost in April, said the forest expert Rupert Seidl from the TU Munich. It is available to the advisory board, which is intended to scientifically accompany the conversion of the forest.

The Put portfolio broad In any case, also applies in the forest. Seidl said that trees can be used from region to region from region to region. The difficulty is in the speed of the changes due to climate change that happen within a generation of tree.

Doubled damage

“The damage in Austria’s forests due to climate extreme and bark beetle attack have doubled in less than 30 years,” said Seidl. But he also sees this as an opportunity: “If we have large areas where bark beetles, storms and drought damage the forest population, we have the opportunity to justify the forest of the future there.”

Great importance

For the Austrians, the forest is commissioned by the Federal Forest Opinion poll At least of great importance. For the Retrify and switch offhow 67 percent of the respondents specified, but also for Walking, running and hiking (59 percent). He is also estimated as Oxygen storage and “green lungs” (60 percent) and as Habitat for animals and plants (58 percent). For almost half of the population, forests are also as Cool environment on heat days and as CO2 memory important in climate change.

According to the survey, six out of ten of the respondents stay in the forest several times a month, more than a quarter even several times a week. Around 90 percent also assume that the Raw material wood will become more important in the future.