Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Skill-For.Action (Skill-For.Action)
Reporting period: 2021-01-01 to 2022-12-31
Drought related losses in growth efficiency, the increase in intensity and frequency of threats (e.g. wildfires, wind-storms) and the subsequent exponential increase in biological risks (e.g. bark beetle outbreaks) (Figure 2) are just a few of the most perceptible effects across forests in Europe and worldwide. The relevance of forests in terms of climate protection is not doubted. However, it is complex to determine how much and how the forest carbon sink and reservoir can be managed to mitigate atmospheric CO2 build-up.
Moreover, modern forestry should also consider and minimize carbon release by monitoring, modelling and managing relationships between carbon sequestration from forest and carbon emission due to forest operations. Thus, an innovative, integrated forest management system is vital to make forests and forestry adaptive to immanent environmental changes and increasing risks is urgently needed. Drought, together with the increasing susceptibility of European forests to
other abiotic (e.g. wild fires in Croatia and Portugal 2017, extreme wind events in Poland in 2017, ‘Friederike’ storm in Germany and ‘Vaia’ storm in Italy in 2018) and biotic (e.g. bark beetle outbreaks such as in Central Europe in 2017, 2018, 2019,
2020, 2021 and in the Southern Alps 2020, 2021) risks, can compromise the resilience of forests and reduce the efficiency of removing anthropogenic carbon through growth (del Rio et al. 2016). Consequently, losses in productivity and lower carbon
sequestration rates are expected. One of the aims of forest management strategies should be to improve water use efficiency on trees and forest stand scales to enhance forest resilience. For example, differently sized trees within a stand show an
unequal response to water limitation, with smaller trees being less vulnerable. Conversely, there are still many uncertainties about how stand structure is modifying resource partitioning between trees of a stand and within a tree and how wood density, forest growth and the carbon storage may be affected.
The effective implementation for adjusted forest management strategies depends largely on forest operations, which can account for a substantial amount of carbon emissions. The need to set intervention protocols that consider the adaptation of silvicultural practices through an eco-efficient use of harvesting systems is an existing challenge. The carbon emission rate is related to silvicultural treatments, harvesting systems and operational conditions. In particular, the shift to more complex stand structures of close to nature forest stands requires higher sophistication of forest operations than those applied in mono-layered or even-aged stands. Consequently, there are challenges in terms of harvesting criteria and harvesting methods.
The lack of comprehensive information on the appropriateness of forest ecosystems concerning their resilience and resistance against biotic and abiotic risks also produces further uncertainness for forest management in terms of financial returns, carbon dynamics and climate change mitigation. Therefore, there is a strong need to develop applied models to optimise carbon balance and financial performance.
Along a wide spectrum of climate zones and a gradient of forest management intensities, the general objectives and challenges of the ETN Skill-For.Action are to generate a clearer knowledge about: i) the dynamics of carbon sequestration and enhancing forest resilience against biotic and abiotic stressors acknowledging site and stand characteristics; ii) the potential to reduce carbon emissions generated from forest operations; iii) provide forest managers with innovative approaches to optimise smart forest management by linking biological and technical production to cope with climate changes.
Moreover, modern forestry should also consider and minimize carbon release by monitoring, modelling and managing relationships between carbon sequestration from forest and carbon emission due to forest operations. Thus, an innovative, integrated forest management system is vital to make forests and forestry adaptive to immanent environmental changes and increasing risks is urgently needed. Drought, together with the increasing susceptibility of European forests to
other abiotic (e.g. wild fires in Croatia and Portugal 2017, extreme wind events in Poland in 2017, ‘Friederike’ storm in Germany and ‘Vaia’ storm in Italy in 2018) and biotic (e.g. bark beetle outbreaks such as in Central Europe in 2017, 2018, 2019,
2020, 2021 and in the Southern Alps 2020, 2021) risks, can compromise the resilience of forests and reduce the efficiency of removing anthropogenic carbon through growth (del Rio et al. 2016). Consequently, losses in productivity and lower carbon
sequestration rates are expected. One of the aims of forest management strategies should be to improve water use efficiency on trees and forest stand scales to enhance forest resilience. For example, differently sized trees within a stand show an
unequal response to water limitation, with smaller trees being less vulnerable. Conversely, there are still many uncertainties about how stand structure is modifying resource partitioning between trees of a stand and within a tree and how wood density, forest growth and the carbon storage may be affected.
The effective implementation for adjusted forest management strategies depends largely on forest operations, which can account for a substantial amount of carbon emissions. The need to set intervention protocols that consider the adaptation of silvicultural practices through an eco-efficient use of harvesting systems is an existing challenge. The carbon emission rate is related to silvicultural treatments, harvesting systems and operational conditions. In particular, the shift to more complex stand structures of close to nature forest stands requires higher sophistication of forest operations than those applied in mono-layered or even-aged stands. Consequently, there are challenges in terms of harvesting criteria and harvesting methods.
The lack of comprehensive information on the appropriateness of forest ecosystems concerning their resilience and resistance against biotic and abiotic risks also produces further uncertainness for forest management in terms of financial returns, carbon dynamics and climate change mitigation. Therefore, there is a strong need to develop applied models to optimise carbon balance and financial performance.
Along a wide spectrum of climate zones and a gradient of forest management intensities, the general objectives and challenges of the ETN Skill-For.Action are to generate a clearer knowledge about: i) the dynamics of carbon sequestration and enhancing forest resilience against biotic and abiotic stressors acknowledging site and stand characteristics; ii) the potential to reduce carbon emissions generated from forest operations; iii) provide forest managers with innovative approaches to optimise smart forest management by linking biological and technical production to cope with climate changes.
The project networking started from the first months of activity (first semester 2021) to plan and start the recruitment of the 12 ESRs. The vacancy publication was submitted in April 2021 and by the end of July 2021 12 ESRs had been shortlisted. 10 ESRs were recruited by 2021, while following administrative difficulties in obtaining visas, 2 ESRs had to give up and therefore start a new recruitment process. With through January 2023 all ESRs have been recruited.
The activity of the first year was concentrated on two aspects: starting the research through the coordination of the supervisors and the starting of the training activity through the courses organized within the project network with the involvement of the partner organizations (AGRESTA, FORA, BAYFOR, SCIMOND, Compagnia delle Foreste, ETIFOR, TAXUS, PFD, YORK Timber, MERENSKY, FBB.
The research activity which has been integrated with an intense training activity has generated a synergy between the ESRs generating a continuous exchange of discussions and increasing the possibility of insights in a multi-disciplinary perspective.
Training activities concerned lessons with broad visions on the bio-economy and the sustainability of forestry operations and on the importance of a correct and effective forest communication. Webinars on forest dynamics, the impact of climate change on forests and Carbon cycle in forests were proposed to the early stage researchers. As well soft-skill courses were offered on raining in intercultural communication and languages and hot to diffuse research results to consulting companies/innovation in forest business. Applied training courses were focused on LiDAR technologies in innovative assessment of forest resources and in carbon cycle evaluation in forestry.
About research activities, to quantify and optimize carbon sequestration dynamics and assess the effects of site conditions and impacts of climate change on growth efficiency, the tree and stand resilience to drought conditions were based on the identification of experimental plots and selection as site specific studies in mono-specific and mixed species stands along a gradient of water availability and temperature [Germany (TUM), Spain (INIA), Poland (SGGW), Italy (UNIBZ) and South Africa (SU). A innovative methodological approaches based on LIDAR and high resolution data were set.
To optimize forest operation in term of technical, economic and environmental efficiency first inventory of fuel consumption and CO2 emission in forest operation was defined. The identification of experimental plots and selection as site specific studies were set according to different harvesting technologies. Methodological approaches and innovative technologies were implemented to analyze fuel consumption and soil machine interaction in real field operation on the base of CAN-BUS data.
To overarching adaptive forest management optimization to achieve a more carbon efficient forest management precise techniques to improve growth models have been set-up and tested. Pilot study and the methodological approach have been set to collect data for the development of optimize harvesting and yarding models.
The activity of the first year was concentrated on two aspects: starting the research through the coordination of the supervisors and the starting of the training activity through the courses organized within the project network with the involvement of the partner organizations (AGRESTA, FORA, BAYFOR, SCIMOND, Compagnia delle Foreste, ETIFOR, TAXUS, PFD, YORK Timber, MERENSKY, FBB.
The research activity which has been integrated with an intense training activity has generated a synergy between the ESRs generating a continuous exchange of discussions and increasing the possibility of insights in a multi-disciplinary perspective.
Training activities concerned lessons with broad visions on the bio-economy and the sustainability of forestry operations and on the importance of a correct and effective forest communication. Webinars on forest dynamics, the impact of climate change on forests and Carbon cycle in forests were proposed to the early stage researchers. As well soft-skill courses were offered on raining in intercultural communication and languages and hot to diffuse research results to consulting companies/innovation in forest business. Applied training courses were focused on LiDAR technologies in innovative assessment of forest resources and in carbon cycle evaluation in forestry.
About research activities, to quantify and optimize carbon sequestration dynamics and assess the effects of site conditions and impacts of climate change on growth efficiency, the tree and stand resilience to drought conditions were based on the identification of experimental plots and selection as site specific studies in mono-specific and mixed species stands along a gradient of water availability and temperature [Germany (TUM), Spain (INIA), Poland (SGGW), Italy (UNIBZ) and South Africa (SU). A innovative methodological approaches based on LIDAR and high resolution data were set.
To optimize forest operation in term of technical, economic and environmental efficiency first inventory of fuel consumption and CO2 emission in forest operation was defined. The identification of experimental plots and selection as site specific studies were set according to different harvesting technologies. Methodological approaches and innovative technologies were implemented to analyze fuel consumption and soil machine interaction in real field operation on the base of CAN-BUS data.
To overarching adaptive forest management optimization to achieve a more carbon efficient forest management precise techniques to improve growth models have been set-up and tested. Pilot study and the methodological approach have been set to collect data for the development of optimize harvesting and yarding models.
The main challenges of ETN touches the Climate Action policy and Sustainable development of EU focusing on cross-cutting issue of climate action and in particular on energy efficiency by optimize forest growth and minimize energy input.