HOW CAN FORESTS FACE THE CHALLENGES THAT CLIMATE CHANGE BRINGS ABOUT?

In the current context of the climate crisis, forests are of strategic value because of their role in mitigating climate change by capturing and accumulating carbon from the atmosphere.

In the current context of the climate crisis, forests are a strategic ally, due to their role in mitigating the effects of climate change, by capturing and storing carbon from the atmosphere.

However, to ensure their long term role, it is necessary to foresee the changes that forests will undergo in new climate scenarios, and define new management approaches that will be necessary to maintain their continuity over time.

Today we know that nature conservation in general, and of forests in particular, is an essential tool to face the effects of climate change, which is why the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of our forests is a priority task.

It is undoubtedly necessary to protect the last relicts of old-growth forests, which was the main focus of the previous LIFE RedBosques project. Nonetheless, if we look at the landscape as a whole, the vast majority of forest cover in Spain is either a result of reforestation actions for productivity or young forests resulting from rural abandonment. These forest stands require an intervention aimed at promoting their capacity to adapt to the new climate. The project will test and try out some of those measures in different regions and habitats, to ensure that the ecosystem services that forests provide to society, including climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation, are not lost.

OBJECTIVES

The main objective of RedBosques_Clima is to achieve a greater capacity to climate change adaptation in forests, promoting forestry practices that incorporate biodiversity conservation objectives (through the promotion of maturity, increased heterogeneity and diversity), under the umbrella of an “Ecosystem-based Adaptation”.

To achieve this objective, actions will be developed in the following workstreams:

Provide tools to assess the vulnerability of forests to climate change, and to ensure the quality and effectiveness of adaptation measures.
Apply these tools in three pilot cases, selected in three representative – and therefore easily replicable – situations of the most frequent state of conservation of Spanish forests, with the participation of the responsible administrations, landowners and other local agents.
Promote the replication of the proposed management models by the main agents involved in forest management, so that the adaptation measures can be extended to the whole territory.
The project aims to facilitate the transfer of existing scientific and technical knowledge to forest management and nature conservation professionals in public administrations and companies in their service. In addition, the advances and results will be shared with all the agents involved, from landowners to consultants, NGOs and policy makers.
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PROJECT ACTIONS

Creation of new management tools

  • Vulnerability Index based on naturalness indicators, derived from the resilience characteristics of a Reference Stand Network.
  • Online tool for the application of the Vulnerability Index in any forest where adaptation measures are to be designed.
  • Standard for the implementation of adaptation measures: generally applicable guidance to ensure that actions meet the criteria of “Ecosystem-based Adaptation”.
  • Prototype to be tested in four forests where adaptation actions are already being implemented.

Application in pilot-sites

A: Resilient landscape in the Parc Natural dels Ports (Tarragona): elaboration of a forest management plan to generate a mosaic forest landscape and implementation of several demonstrative measures, in a participatory way with all forest owners.

B: Improvement of adaptation capacity in reforested areas in the Valencian Community (Castellón, Valencia and Alicante): increase of structural heterogeneity and habitat diversification in several pine plantations highly vulnerable to climate change.

C: Forest restoration for climate change adaptation in the Sierra Norte Natural Park (Guadalajara): recovery of several Habitats of Community Interest occupied by reforestation.

Replication throughout the territory

  • Dissemination via website, newsletter, social media networks
  • Publication of technical material (manual, videos).
  • Staff exchange programme for conservation and forestry technicians.
  • Six technical-scientific webinars.
  • One blended learning course, face-to-face and online format.
  • Four scientific-technical seminars in which the progress of the project will be discussed.
  • Specific events for policy makers, at regional, national and EU level.