In the 1990s, the proportion of damaged wood was still around 30 percent. This damaged wood can still be used, but it fetches lower prices. Overall, the Federal Forests incurred costs of 32 million euros due to damage last year.
The most common tree in Austria, the spruce, is most affected by climate change. The proportion of trees will probably decline from around 60 to 40 percent (see grafic). Making the forest fit for the changing climatic conditions is a “project of the century,” says Schöppl.
Last year, the Federal Forests invested 15 million euros in forest management, seven million of which went into combating bark beetles alone. In any case, these investments are paying off, said co-chairman Andreas Gruber. Simply because a third of the federal forests are so-called protective forests. Especially on alpine slopes, it would be cheaper to preserve these than to build technical structures to protect against avalanches and mudslides.
Forest construction
For a forest to thrive in changing conditions, its composition must also change. To achieve this, trees must grow that can cope with the conditions in 50 years.
“With climate change in mind, it is important to plant different tree species,” says Simon Jansen from the Institute of Silviculture at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences to the KURIER. This would also spread the risk. It’s not just about the type of tree, says the scientist. Tree species adapt over generations to the conditions under which they grow. If, for example, you expect there to be less rainfall in a region in the future, it might be worth trying to use seed from regions that were drier in the past.
The Federal Forests generally rely on natural rejuvenation of the forest stock, but in some areas it is necessary to help. Last year, employees planted one and a half million young trees. The selection was adapted to the climatic conditions expected in the respective forest district. A total of 35 different tree species were planted, most of them larch, but also 140,000 silver firs and 80,000 drought-resistant oaks.
However, there is no reason to fear that Austria will run out of forest areas due to climatic changes. In a long-term comparison, these have actually become larger due to sustainable management.