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
16
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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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