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Close to Nature Forestry – Hope for the European Green Deal

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Ecology and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 9554

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Prof. Dr. Stjepan Mikac

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Guest Editor

Department of Forest Ecology and Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska Cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: forest ecology; silviculture; climate change

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Green Deal is an ambitious plan of the European Union that implies an active fight against climate change. The majority of the European Green Plan is aimed at reducing the European Union's greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The proposal for a European Climate Act, which includes the goal of climate neutrality by 2050, will clearly set out the conditions for an effective transition and will also focus on nature-based solutions, especially in the context of climate change adaptation. The main EU strategy for forests has as its main objectives effective afforestation and the preservation and restoration of forests in Europe, increasing CO2 absorption, reducing forest fires, and increasing forest resilience. The total forest area in the EU is 182 million hectares (about 5% of the world’s forests) or 43% of the Union’s area. The EU’s forest area increased between 1990 and 2000, growing by 11 million hectares thanks to natural succession and afforestation. From an ecological point of view, the Union’s forests have several important roles: they contribute to soil protection, participate in the hydrological cycle, regulate the local climate, store carbon, and keep biodiversity. At the same time, however, forest ecosystems are exposed to increasing pressure due to climate change (increased mortality due to drought, great damage due to more frequent natural disasters, etc.). By natural regeneration and afforestation, decaying forests could better absorb CO2 and become more resilient. Based on the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, the Commission will prepare a new EU Forest Strategy covering the whole cycle of forest development and promoting ecosystem services. The main objectives of the EU Forest Strategy will be effective afforestation and the preservation and restoration of forests in Europe to increase CO2 absorption, reduce the occurrence and spread of forest fires, and promote the bioeconomy in line with ecological principles conducive to biodiversity.

This Special Issue seeks to contribute to the realization of the European green plan but also to provide answers and practical solutions to whether forests and forestry are capable of responding to the ambitions of the EU.

Prof. Dr. Stjepan Mikac
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

close to nature forestry
forest resilience
biodiversity
forest protection
climate change
ecosystem services
sustainable development
nature-based solution
reforestation
carbon management
land use
biomass production

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2793 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Effect of Acorn Thermotherapy and Short-Term Storage on Morphological Characteristics of Related Quercus Robur L. Seedlings

by Jelena Kranjec Orlović, Damir Drvodelić, Ela Španjol, Sanja Bogunović, Danko Diminić and Milan Oršanić

Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1307; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031307 - 24 Jan 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1986

Abstract

To preserve the sustainability of Quercus robur forests, which is at risk due to the disturbed natural regeneration, human assisted sowing of acorns or planting of oak seedlings is often performed. However, the success of these methods depends greatly on the use of high-quality sowing and planting material. Thermotherapy is thus often employed to decrease the acorn mycobiota and maintain their quality during the storage. The aim of this study was to test the impact of acorn thermotherapy, followed by a short-term storage at −1 °C or 3 °C, on the quality of related oak seedlings, which was assessed based on the easily observable morphological characteristics. Height, root collar diameter and seedling form were measured or noted for the 1284 and 1190 seedlings at the age of four months and three years, respectively. It was found that acorn thermotherapy affirmatively affected seedling height, especially at the early growth stage. Positive impact on other seedling attributes could not be decisively confirmed because of the lack of the continuity of the effect (not visible in both younger and older seedlings) and the prevailing impact of other factors. Different acorn thermotherapy conditions (temperature and duration) and short-term storage temperatures appeared to be associated only with the occurrence of stem forking at the earlier stage of seedling growth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Close to Nature Forestry – Hope for the European Green Deal)

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20 pages, 2907 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Current Status and Recent Stand Structure Dynamics in Mixed Silver Fir—European Beech Forests in Croatian Dinarides: Are There Differences between Managed and Unmanaged Forests?

by Jura Čavlović, Marijana Andabaka, Mario Božić, Krunoslav Teslak and Karlo Beljan

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9179; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169179 - 16 Aug 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1701

Abstract

The environmental, social and economic potential of Dinaric uneven-aged forests along with the complex stand dynamics influenced by different long-term management approaches and environmental factors require comprehensive forest monitoring. This study aimed to explore differences in the current status and recent past dynamics of stand structures between unmanaged and managed mixed fir-beech forests in the Croatian part of the Dinaric Alps using large-scale data from an established monitoring system. From the 74 permanent sample plots distributed within the forest type measured in 2008 and re-measured in 2019, we stratified four strata (types of management regimes): (1) forests out of regular management and tree harvest for at least 30 years, (2) managed state forests on carbonate bedrock, (3) managed state forests on non-carbonate bedrock and (4) managed private forests. In each sample plot, 34 structural attributes were computed to assess indicators of their current status and recent past dynamics of stands in the studied forests. An increasing Q shape diameter distribution with a high number of large and very large trees characterize unmanaged forests and managed forests on non-carbonate bedrock. In managed state forests and private forests, variable (rotated sigmoid) and constant (negative exponential) results were obtained, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) distinguished managed and unmanaged forests with decreasing harvest volume and recruitment, increasing basal area, number of very large trees, average diameter at breast height (DBH), crown defoliation of firs and basal area of died beech trees. The current structure, recent and expected stand dynamics in the unmanaged forests (accumulation of standing volume, increase of large diameter trees and large snags, large share of beech, large mean DBH) can be recognized as old-growth attributes. The differences between the studied forest types, potential of both unmanaged and state managed fir-beech forests and approaches to sustain multifunctional forest management in the Dinaric region were discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Close to Nature Forestry – Hope for the European Green Deal)

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15 pages, 2432 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Silver Fir Decline in Pure and Mixed Stands at Western Edge of Spread in Croatian Dinarides Depends on Some Stand Structure and Climate Factors

by Damir Ugarković, Anamarija Jazbec, Ivan Seletković, Ivica Tikvić, Vinko Paulić, Mladen Ognjenović, Mia Marušić and Nenad Potočić

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6060; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116060 - 27 May 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2228

Abstract

Silver fir is one of the most threatened conifer species in Croatia, especially at the western edge of its spread in Croatian Dinarides, where the decline in fir trees has resulted in significant ecological and economic issues. The aim of this study was to determine, over an 18-year monitoring period, the relationships of silver fir crown defoliation with climatic factors and structural attributes. We further analyzed the tree retention time in a given defoliation class and transition dynamics between defoliation classes, as well as the survival/mortality of trees. Data on silver fir defoliation were analyzed in two different forest types: in pure silver fir and in mixed silver fir and common beech stands. The climatic factors, primarily vegetation period air temperature, potential evapotranspiration, and dry season water deficit, were correlated with crown defoliation. Regarding the structural attributes, in the mixed stand with predominantly smaller trees, crown defoliation increased with reduced diameter at breast height, crown diameter, social class, and crown illumination. In the pure fir stand, crown defoliation increased with reduced crown diameter, greater crown asymmetry, greater crown illumination, and on trees with a stork’s nest crown. The retention time in defoliation classes differed for research sites. Transition dynamics were different only for trees in the highest defoliation class (dead trees). At the end of the study period, silver fir mortality was higher in the pure fir stand. Increased silver fir defoliation and mortality can be expected in the future, particularly in overmature stands under prolonged drought stress. Permanent forest monitoring could ensure the high-quality data needed for adaptive management of fir stands that could positively influence the structure of these stands and, thus, improve their health status. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Close to Nature Forestry – Hope for the European Green Deal)

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11 pages, 3330 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dendrohydrological Reconstructions Based on Tree-Ring Width (TRW) Chronologies of Narrow-Leaved Ash in the Sava River Basin (Croatia)

by Domagoj Trlin, Stjepan Mikac, Anja Žmegač and Marko Orešković

Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2408; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042408 - 23 Feb 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2336

Abstract

Current flood risk management is based on statistical models and assessments of the risk of occurrence over a given time period, although with very short measurement periods, usually following catastrophic events. Ongoing monitoring of basic hydrological (river-water level and streamflow) and climate data are the basis for sustainable water management and long-term flood control planning. The lack of data has proven to be particularly negative during this period of global climate change, when non-seasonal flooding (during summer) is becoming increasingly frequent, and the resulting damage greater. The aim of this study was to analyse the possible use of tree ring width chronologies of trees growing in floodplain areas to reconstruct hydrodynamic variables (river-water level and streamflow). The study analysed the influence of climatic and hydrological variables on the growth of narrow-leaved ash (Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl) in the Sava River basin. The results indicate the significant potential of narrow-leaved ash tree-ring width chronologies to reconstruct the summer streamflows of the Sava River (R² = 0.45). These results can serve to develop long-term data series on the summer streamflows of the river, thereby enabling better insight into its spatial and temporal dynamics with the goal of more successful, sustainable management of floodplain areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Close to Nature Forestry – Hope for the European Green Deal)

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