Abstract
Abstract There is increasing interest across Europe in adopting forest management strategies, which promote species and structural diversity through the use of irregular silvicultural systems, an approach often described as continuous cover forestry (CCF). However, there is little information about the proportion of CCF practised across the continent or about the knowledge gaps and other obstacles that limit its use. A survey of respondents in 33 European countries sought to address these issues. The results indicated that the silvicultural systems associated with CCF were single stem, group selection and irregular shelterwood. Rotational forest management (RFM) was more frequent than CCF in about 66 per cent of countries, whereas in 25 per cent the reverse was true. We estimated that between 22 and 30 per cent of European forests are managed through CCF, although good data are lacking. The main knowledge gaps were: uncertainties arising from climate change (e.g. appropriate species choice, carbon storage in CCF), using CCF to increase forest resilience, deployment of mechanized harvesting systems, lack of knowledge about CCF amongst professional foresters and better information on economic implications of this approach. Major obstacles included: little awareness of CCF amongst forest owners, limited competence in CCF within the forestry profession and a scarcity of skilled forest workers to implement this approach, high ungulate populations damaging natural regeneration, a sawmilling sector geared to processing medium-sized logs, subsidy regimes favouring practices associated with RFM and a lack of experience in transforming plantation forests to more diverse structures. Better information on the use of different silvicultural systems is essential to allow policymakers and other stakeholders to monitor progress in diversifying forests. Establishment of a continental network of long-term operational trials (e.g. expanding the existing Association Futaie Irrégulière network) would improve professional understanding of CCF, would demonstrate this approach to forest owners and other stakeholders and could provide a valuable platform for supporting research.
Highlights
European forests cover ∼227 million ha and represent about 35 per cent of the land area of the continent (Forest Europe, 2020).Most forests are even-aged and between 20 and 80 years of age, whereas around a quarter are considered to be uneven-aged.Sixty-seven per cent of forests have two or more species and the proportion of single species stands has been decreasing over recent decades
Respondents were asked to reply to 12 questions, which covered: general details on the extent of forests in that country and the forest types that were present; identification of the silvicultural systems considered to be compatible with continuous cover forestry (CCF) distinguishing between single stem selection, group selection, irregular, group and uniform shelterwood
Most respondents were able to state those silvicultural systems that were considered compatible with CCF in their country (Table 2), apart from one country where CCF was too new to permit a reply
Summary
European forests cover ∼227 million ha and represent about 35 per cent of the land area of the continent (Forest Europe, 2020).Most forests are even-aged and between 20 and 80 years of age, whereas around a quarter are considered to be uneven-aged.Sixty-seven per cent of forests have two or more species and the proportion of single species stands has been decreasing over recent decades. European forests cover ∼227 million ha and represent about 35 per cent of the land area of the continent (Forest Europe, 2020). While there is a great diversity of management objectives, forest types and species across Europe, most forests are actively managed and some 170 million ha are available for wood supply (Forest Europe, 2020). These forests serve as important carbon stores and provide a range of ecosystem services such as biodiversity, water protection, erosion control, recreational opportunities and landscape benefits. Many European countries are seeking to promote the practice of multifunctional or close-to nature forest management
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