Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CLIMB-FOREST (CLImate Mitigation and Bioeconomy pathways for sustainable FORESTry)
Reporting period: 2024-04-01 to 2025-09-30
CLIMB-FOREST suggests alternative sustainable short-, mid-, and long-term pathways for the forest sector to mitigate climate change in entire Europe, considering preservation of biodiversity, ecosystem services, bioeconomy, socioeconomic factors, use of long-lived wood products, and barriers for change. It will have long-term impact by creating attitude change in the policymaking process in the EU and influence foresters to adopt to new forest management strategies.
New experimental data were generated on carbon storage differences between primary, secondary and managed forests across northern, central and southern Europe. High-resolution maps of forest age, structure and biodiversity were developed using national forest inventories, satellite-based disturbance records and predictive modelling, enabling improved understanding of how climate responses, management regimes and functional diversity shape forest carbon dynamics.
The functioning of forest ecosystems under different management, structural conditions and disturbance histories was investigated using flux-tower data, remote sensing and process-level assessments. Large datasets on carbon stocks, photosynthesis, water-use efficiency, microclimate and structural heterogeneity were analysed to identify drivers of resilience and mitigation.
Experiments and modelling on short-lived climate forcers clarified how afforestation and management influence biogenic emissions, aerosol formation and resulting climate effects. Soil studies across diverse European and Mediterranean forests revealed how thinning, drought and fire shape soil organic carbon storage.
The socio-economic dimensions of forest management and wood use were examined through a combination of life-cycle analysis, discrete-choice experiments and stakeholder interviews. A full life-cycle assessment quantified the climate benefits and trade-offs of shifting towards long-lived products and alternative bioenergy strategies. Large-scale data collection across multiple European regions captured consumer preferences for forest ecosystem services and wood products.
An integrated modelling framework combining agent-based land-use simulations, vegetation modelling and trait-based biodiversity projections was developed and applied across multiple future climate scenarios. High-resolution projections of forest development, ecosystem services, and disturbance impacts were produced for Europe to 2100. New institutional and policy-modelling components allow exploration of governance pathways and coherent policy packages to support future climate-resilient and biodiversity-friendly forests.
The management options that were previously explored together with stakeholders are now being tested through vegetation modelling to assess their implications for carbon sequestration, biodiversity and resilience to storms, drought, fires and pests.
The functioning of forest ecosystems under different management, structural conditions and disturbance histories was investigated using flux-tower data, remote sensing and process-level assessments. Large datasets on carbon stocks, photosynthesis, water-use efficiency, microclimate and structural heterogeneity were analysed to identify drivers of resilience and mitigation.
Experiments and modelling on short-lived climate forcers clarified how afforestation and management influence biogenic emissions, aerosol formation and resulting climate effects. Soil studies across diverse European and Mediterranean forests revealed how thinning, drought and fire shape soil organic carbon storage.
The socio-economic dimensions of forest management and wood use were examined through a combination of life-cycle analysis, discrete-choice experiments and stakeholder interviews. A full life-cycle assessment quantified the climate benefits and trade-offs of shifting towards long-lived products and alternative bioenergy strategies. Large-scale data collection across multiple European regions captured consumer preferences for forest ecosystem services and wood products.
An integrated modelling framework combining agent-based land-use simulations, vegetation modelling and trait-based biodiversity projections was developed and applied across multiple future climate scenarios. High-resolution projections of forest development, ecosystem services, and disturbance impacts were produced for Europe to 2100. New institutional and policy-modelling components allow exploration of governance pathways and coherent policy packages to support future climate-resilient and biodiversity-friendly forests.
The management options that were previously explored together with stakeholders are now being tested through vegetation modelling to assess their implications for carbon sequestration, biodiversity and resilience to storms, drought, fires and pests.
High-resolution European datasets on forest age, structure and management, combined with unique comparisons of primary and managed forests, has given insight into how historical management shapes carbon storage, productivity and biodiversity. This creates a new empirical basis for climate-smart forestry across Europe.
The combination of flux data, forest structure and remote sensing at multiple sites has advanced understanding of how management, structure and drought shape carbon fluxes and microclimate, and provides unique long-term data for the carbon sink saturation effect. Short-lived climate forcers have been integrated in studies of carbon sequestration and biophysical effects, that will render holistic quantifications of afforestation and management impacts on climate for the very first time.
The combination of life-cycle analysis for wood-product systems with large-scale discrete-choice experiments made in several European regions has offered a unique view on consumer behaviour. This provides cutting-edge insights into how preferences, product attributes and ecosystem-service values shape demand for long-lived wood products and acceptance of alternative management regimes.
CLIMB-FOREST has produced one of the most advanced integrated forest–land-use modelling frameworks, coupling process-based vegetation dynamics, biodiversity responses and socio-economic decision-making at unprecedented spatial resolution. Novel approaches to institutional modelling, disturbance simulation and trait-based projections enable robust exploration of policy pathways for carbon storage, biodiversity and the bioeconomy under future climate conditions. Further impact on the forestry paradigm will be reached through modelling under various coherent policy targets, that might have trade-off with desired productivity and sustainability outcomes.
The structured engagement of diverse stakeholder communities and the translation of their proposed forest management strategies into dynamic vegetation simulations represent a new model for participatory, evidence-based forest planning. This activity demonstrates how local knowledge can be systematically linked to carbon, biodiversity and resilience modelling to evaluate trade-offs and to adaptive alternative options.
The combination of flux data, forest structure and remote sensing at multiple sites has advanced understanding of how management, structure and drought shape carbon fluxes and microclimate, and provides unique long-term data for the carbon sink saturation effect. Short-lived climate forcers have been integrated in studies of carbon sequestration and biophysical effects, that will render holistic quantifications of afforestation and management impacts on climate for the very first time.
The combination of life-cycle analysis for wood-product systems with large-scale discrete-choice experiments made in several European regions has offered a unique view on consumer behaviour. This provides cutting-edge insights into how preferences, product attributes and ecosystem-service values shape demand for long-lived wood products and acceptance of alternative management regimes.
CLIMB-FOREST has produced one of the most advanced integrated forest–land-use modelling frameworks, coupling process-based vegetation dynamics, biodiversity responses and socio-economic decision-making at unprecedented spatial resolution. Novel approaches to institutional modelling, disturbance simulation and trait-based projections enable robust exploration of policy pathways for carbon storage, biodiversity and the bioeconomy under future climate conditions. Further impact on the forestry paradigm will be reached through modelling under various coherent policy targets, that might have trade-off with desired productivity and sustainability outcomes.
The structured engagement of diverse stakeholder communities and the translation of their proposed forest management strategies into dynamic vegetation simulations represent a new model for participatory, evidence-based forest planning. This activity demonstrates how local knowledge can be systematically linked to carbon, biodiversity and resilience modelling to evaluate trade-offs and to adaptive alternative options.