Forest conservationunder a changingclimate:adjusting concepts and policies in Germany

Mirjam Milad, Harald Schaich, Werner KonoldInstitute for Landscape ManagementFaculty of Forest & Environmental SciencesUniversity of Freiburg

Sabine Storch, Georg Winkel

Institute for Forest and Environmental PolicyFaculty of Forest & Environmental SciencesUniversity of Freiburg

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Outline

• Project structure

• Consequences of climate change for

nature conservation in forests

• Impacts of climate change

• Adaptation to climate change

• Policy analysis on forests & climate

change

• Discourse analysis

• Governance analysis

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Project structure

M1: Impacts of climate change & adaptation

M2: Current conceptsof forest conservation

M4: Future concepts of forest conservation

M5: Recommendations forforest conservation policy

M3: Forest policies and instruments

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Impacts of climate change on forestecosystems• Literature review

Milad et al., 2011: Climate change and nature conservation in Central European forests. A review of consequences, concepts and challenges. Forest Ecology & Management 261, 829–843.

Main challenges regarding protection of species and habitats (area specific objectives)

In part great uncertainties regarding reactions of forestecosystems and adaptive capabilities of tree species and forests

Static concepts, objectives and reference systems need to be reconsidered and further developed

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• Main question:Have projections on climate change already lead to adaptation measures in forest management and conservation? If so, which ones?

• Qualitative interviews, 13 forest practitioners

• Criteria for selection of regions:

• they largely differ in currently dominating tree species and showdifferences in supposed vulnerability (Zebisch et al., 2005)

• different forest ownership regimes between and within studyregions are to be considered

Adaptation to climate change: interviews with forest practitioners

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Interview regions

map: www.planetposter.de

Central Franconia

Lower Lusatia

Westerwald

Swabian Alb

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Interviews: overview

Region Vulnerability Tree species Forest ownershipregimes

Swabian Alb + F. sylvatica Large PrivateMuncipialState

Central Franconia

+ P. abies, P. sylvestris

Large PrivateSmall Private/Municipal*State

Westerwald + P. abies, F. Sylvatica

Large PrivateMunicipal*State

LowerLusatia

++ P. sylvestris Mid-sized PrivateFederalState

+ = moderate ++ = high

*consulting state forest officers

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Interviews: adaptation strategies in forestry (I)

• Tree species choice:

• Increasing species diversity

• Reducing proportion of high-risktree species

• Increasing single tree stability/reducing rotation periods/earlierachievement of target diameters

• Preference of natural regeneration; additional tree species planted

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Interviews: adaptation strategies in forestry (II)

Tree species Forest ownerships Tree specieschoice

Reduction of rotation periods

F. sylvatica Large PrivateMuncipialState

+-+

++-

++

P. abies, P. sylvestris

Large PrivateSmall Private/MunicipalState

+++++

++++

P. abies, F. sylvatica

Large PrivateMunicipalState

++-

++

++(+)+

P. sylvestris Mid-sized PrivateFederalState

+--

---

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Interviews: regional example

• Bark beetle calamities in 5 subsequent years

• Public forest: notably reduce proportion of P. abies

• Large private forest: proportion of P. abies maintained dueto economic reasons, alteration of management (increasingsingle tree stability e.g. by thinning and reducing rotation periods)

P. abies, P. sylvestris

Large PrivateSmall Private/MunicipalState

+++++

++++

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Interviews: adaptation strategies referringto nature conservation• Hardly any(Swabian Alb - Municipal forest - F. sylvatica:)

• Maintaining a high habitat diversity including cool-humidrefugial areas

(Lower Lusatia - State & federal forest - P. sylvestris:)

• Restoration of landscape water balance(reversing negative impacts of melioration during the‘70s)

• Establishing an adequate monitoring(e.g. to study changes in Natura 2000 sites)

• Critically discuss/revise current reference systems(e.g. native tree species composition)

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Interviews: adaptive strategies

ideas rather than precise plans

conservation objectives differ according to forestownership and responsible persons

most forest practitioners do not intend to adaptconservation strategies to climate change

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Interviews: analysis

• Discussing results in the context of scientific literature

Classifying ways of adaptation

• E.g.,differentiating strategies into1. conservation of forest structures, 2. active adaptation, 3. passive adaptation

(Bolte et al., 2009, Scand J Forest Res)

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Interviews: analysis

Vulnerability Tree species Forest ownerships Adaptation (tendency)

+ F. sylvatica Large PrivateMuncipialState

– (active)– (passive)

Active+ P. abies,

P. sylvestrisLarge PrivateSmall Private/MunicipalState

Mixture/active

Mixture/activeActive

+ P. abies, F. Sylvatica

Large PrivateMunicipalState

Mixture/active– (active)

Active++ P. sylvestris Mid-sized Private

FederalState

–– (mixture)– (mixture)

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Interviews: conclusions

• Forest management activities cannot be easily relatedto a certain climate change adaptation strategy

• Forestry practice: mixture of adaptation to climatechange and independent strategies, e.g. increasingstability or reducing risks in general

• Some adaptation strategies beneficial, e.g. increasingdiversity or emphasising nature-orientated forestry

• Others able to negatively affect nature conservation, in particular reducing rotation periods for decidiuous treespecies

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Conclusions & Outlook

Need for developing a framework for adapting conservation strategies in forests to climate change;

Including a graded set of well-founded recommendations;

Offering possible and essential courses of action

Intention: present recommendations for forest conservation with a focus on Germany

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M1: Impacts of climate change & adaptation

M2: Current conceptsof forest conservation

M4: Future concepts of forest conservation

M5: Recommendations forforest conservation policy

M3: Forest policies and instruments

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Discourse analysis approach

How the issue is framed

Analysis of > 70 press releases and other official statements

of forest policy actors(ministries, administrative bodies, forestry and nature conservation associations et al.)

> 100 articles of professional journals

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Analysis of policy discourses on forest + climate change (I)

Generally:

Climate change is highly relevant in the political discourse

The political discourse is less complex and tends to bepolarized

The inherent uncertainty is partly intrumentalized

Climate change is often used for previously developedpolitical agendas

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Analysis of policy discourses on forest + climate change (II)Two storylines = major strings of argumentation(only some characteristics):1) “Forests as a means of mitigating CC”

Strategic focus on mitigationManaged forests and wood products as carbon sinksRisk reduction by shortened rotation periods

-> intensification of forest use

2) “Forests as ecosystems threatened by CC”Strategic focus on adaptationForests, old growth stands, dead wood, bogs as carbon poolsRisk reduction by increasing ecosystem‘s overall stability and diversity

-> enhancing forest quality

Take into consideration: Actors may use arguments from both storylines On the operational level, these major political storylines are reflected in

balanced approaches

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Governance analysis

Which instrumentsare considered / have been developedin the German forest policy?

Emprical data: In-depth document analysis In-depth interviews

with experts of forest and nature conservation policy(during 2010, conducted by Johanna Gleißner)

Expert workshop „Forests and Climate Change“(January 2011)

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Forest policy strategies & instruments

Currently discussed approaches (selection)

Climate action plans and strategies

Adjustment of existing instrumentsForest conversion programmes, financial support et al.

Climate adaptation policy concerning forests isscience-based policy Advisory services, trainings Forest planning

Responses reflect two silvicultural approaches:Strengthen nature-oriented management orBe more flexible and test also new and diverse approaches

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Forest policy strategies & instruments

Demands and Suggestions (selection)

State forests as models

Adjusting existing instruments

No „master plan“, but need for information- More advisory services, better knowledge transfer- Activating forest owners- Personal contact and/or new approaches like internet platforms

Suggestions depend on preferred governance approaches:Clear standards, including regulation (protected areas) or„Laissez-faire“, experimenting, providing opportunities

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Incorporating an international perspective

International conference „Forest biodiversity in a Changing Climate – Understanding ConservationStrategies and Policies“, Freiburg, Germany, 22-23 September 2011

http://www.freiburgconference2011.de/

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Thank you!