Andreas Schuck

EFICENT – Institutional set-up and planned activities

Central European Regional Office – EFICENT - Information Eventat

The Forest Research Institute of Baden-Württemberg, Freiburg, Germany03.04.2009

20.8.20042

Structure of the presentation

Main aims and core competences

Organizational structure and scope

Main themes and work areas

Presentation of potential activities

Main aims of EFICENT

promote and support national and transboundary research

collaboration and networking of forest research and related

institutions in the Central European region

contribute to EFI’s strategic core competences research,

networking, information provision and advocacy

initiate and implement activities to support EFI’s strategic aim

of providing information/information products on Europe’s

forests to stakeholders

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Core competence – Research

Building an integrated, coherent and strengthened

research capacity on Central European temperate

forests

Addressing existing and emerging forest policy and

research needs of Central European dimension

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Core competence – Information

Strengthen EFI in its core aim of providing value-added,

science-based information & services on European forests

and forestry to a wide range of target groups

Complementarity & support to existing initiatives in

information provision and analysis at European levelo contribution to filling existing data and information gaps in the

European forest sector

This work shall be addressed by a ‘European Forest

Observatory’ constituting an integral part of EFICENT

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Core competence – Networking

Strengthening and expanding networks to

organisations involved in research, information

management at Central European, European and

international level

Emphasis on involving EFI Associate Members

from Central Europe in EFICENT activities

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Core competence – Advocacy

Promote forest research and information

dissemination activities in EFI member countries to

stakeholders

Strengthen dialogue with European and

international bodies/processes including e.g.

UNECE, FAO, MCPFE, EC, EEA, IUFRO and the

Forest-based Sector Technology Platform

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Organizational structure

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Advisory Group

Advisory Group

Observatory Manager

INFORMATION PILLAR

Geographic scope of EFICENT is twofold

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EFICENT ‘European Forest Observatory’

EFICENT locations

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Nancy

Freiburg

Birmensdorf

Donors of EFICENT

France

French Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries

Urban Community of Greater Nancy

Regional Council of Lorraine

 Germany

Ministry of Nutrition and Rural Space, Baden-Württemberg

Switzerland

 Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape

Research, WSL

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Funding for EFICENT

Cash contributions

In-kind contributions

o Personnel

o Office space

Total annual budget: ~650 kEuro

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Research and information themes

Regional dimension:

Forests under changing environmental conditions

Forest resources – multifunctional demands and sustainable

development

European dimension:

Collection, analysis and dissemination of information on forests

and the forest based sector

Provision of value added information products and services for

research, policy and decision-making in forestry and related

disciplines

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Proposed action (1)Mixed oak-beech forests - growth dynamics & management perspectives under climate change

proposal developed by:

Institute for Forest Growth, University Freiburg (H. Spiecker)

Forest Research Institute Baden-Württemberg (U.Kohnle)

EFICENT Regional Office (A. Schuck)

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Oak – beech: climate change

Most common broadleaves in Central Europe; of transnational

importance: F / D / CH !mixed oak-beech-forests !

Water supply / competitiveness

o (oaks) dry/warm - humid/cool (beech)

Relevance of climate change

o shifting competitiveness (landscape magintude)

o historic dimensions: transition from oak to beech forests

o current development and future perspectives ?

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Oak – beech: project objectives

Growth (competition) dynamicso climate gradient (e.g. water supply)

o comparative approach

o quantitative methods

height, diameter, per hectare growth

Aspect: mixed forests

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oak

beech

Oak – beech: Proposed project structure

Duration: 5 years (full-time postdoc) Co-financing partners

• Institute for Forest Growth (University of Freiburg)• Forest Research Station Baden-Württemberg• EFICENT Regional Office

Expected products• quantitative growth models (oak, beech)

dynamics in mixed forests along climate gradients• silivicultural concepts to mitigate management

optimal adaption to current climate change dynamics

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Proposed action (2)The economic loss in value of Central European forests as a consequence of changes in climate

Cooperation:

Forest Research Institute of Baden-Wuerttemberg

(M. Hanewinkel)

Regional Office EFICENT

(A. Schuck)

Time frame: about 3 years

Implementation: PhD thesis

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The economic loss in value of Central European forests as a consequence of changes in climate

Focus: analysis of the shift of main tree species in Central Europe induced by climate change

• More cold-adapted and mesic tree species tend to lose large fractions of their natural ranges

• More drought-adapted tree species will gain in importance

=> Changes in the economical value of Central European forest land will be analysed

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The economic loss in value of Central European forests as a consequence of changes in climate

Use of forest growth models under different IPCC scenarios Economic evaluation:

• Soil expectation value as measure for defining the willingness to

pay for forest land

• Identify break-even-points

Links to related project activities at regional and European level

(e.g. MOTIVE) To date only few international studies on this topic

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Proposed action (3) Integration of nature protection measures in multifunctional forest management

International reporting on protected forests is common practice

Reporting refers to geographically defined areas

Protected forest areas reflect only a part of the total forest area

basic nature protection measures on the forest area as a whole

are not captured

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MCPFE, 2007. (Europe excluding the Russian Federation)

Integration of nature protection measures in multifunctional forest management

Objective: investigate extent to which basic protection and its functions

are fulfilled through regional/national policy measures/legal regulations

on the forest area as a whole and how they are enforced in practice Coverage: all ownership categories Geographic scope: Central Europe region; open to others Approach: case studies; scale: country/region Tasks: (1) legal basis of protection measures; (2) identification and

analysis of existing guidelines incorporating active management for

biodiversity; (3) socio economic functions and cultural and impacts; (4)

safeguarding mechanisms

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Proposed actions ‘information’

Study revealed limited availability

of information and tailored

products on:

production and socio-economic functions

of forests at a European level (e.g. forest

products and trade, forest products prices,

forest sector employment, wood for

energy)

•spatial information products

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Wardle et al. (2008) International Information on European Forest Sector

State – Challenges - Opportunities,.EFI Discussion Paper 14. (supported

by the Urban Community of Greater Nancy)

Proposed action (4)Improving international forest products price information

Rationale:

UNFF identified lack of reliable international price information as

a stumbling block in development for people dependent on forest

products

Joint FAO/UNECE Working Party on Forest Economics and

Statistics endorsed efforts to provide up-to-date price information

in a user-friendly framework

UNECE/FAO Timber Committee supports collection and

dissemination of international forest products prices (coverage

limited)

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Improving international forest products price information

Objective: investigate potentials of improving coverage and quality

of forest products price information and depict best options for their

collection and dissemination

Tasks:o Analyse current content of UNECE/FAO prices data;

o Map availability of prices data from existing sources (type of forest

products, frequency of updating)

o Implement gap analysis including surveys on actual needs of a potential

client base.

o Propose solutions to collection and dissemination

Partners: UNECE/FAO, EFICENT - EFI

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Proposed action (5)Forest ownership maps of the pan-European region

Requests from stakeholders for ownership maps (e.g.

EUSTAFOR)

Tasks:

oUpdate of European Forest Map with latest NFI statistics

oCollection of forest ownership boundariy maps for case study

regions (e.g. state forest)

oOverlay and calculation of forest area by ownership type

oTest methodology and apply to European scale

Application: Ownership map can serve as base map for other

GIS applications as e.g. wood accessibility studies

Partners: EFI, EFICENT, interested partners &related projects

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Your ideas are very welcome

Research topics

Information needs

Modes of cooperation

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