THEMATIC CENTRE Forestry and Agricuture Piot Study Adapted forest management in Austria
Under the OrientGate project s Thematic Centre on Forestry and Agricuture, two piot studies were carried out: Piot Study 1 focused on cimate change adaptation in the forests of the Austrian Aps; Piot Study 2 investigated agricutura adaptation in Romania.
Modeing study Peak nitrate concentrations in the eachate during cearcutting and thinning increased under a scenarios. During understorey reinitiation in the cear-cutting and sheterwood systems, nitrate eaching was aso greater compared to the current cimate. This is due to retarded understorey deveopment as a consequence of increased water stress in summer and nutrient deficiency. Nitrogen is taken up by trees ess efficienty, transpiration is ower, and higher infitration enhances the transportation of nitrates beow the rooting zone and subsequenty into the groundwater. At the atitude of the study area (950 metres above sea eve), a warmer cimate wi be beneficia for the growth of Norway spruce. This enhanced growth under the cimate scenarios may even outweigh the stem wood biomass accumuation under the current cimate and, as a resut, nitrate oads in the groundwater may be ower in mature forests. Setting the scene The Northern Limestone Aps are characterised by shaow sois that are vunerabe to nutrient oss and erosion once forest cover is damaged. Many settements in the region are suppied with highquaity drinking water from forested headwaters, thus forest functions such as water retention and the fitering of poutants must be maintained. The Federa Environment Agency runs LTER Zöbeboden, a ong-term ecosystem research site in the Kakapen Nationa Park. The site is representative of the major forest types of the Northern Limestone Aps, in particuar mixed spruce-fir-beech forests. At the heart of Piot Study 1 was the deveopment of mode-based scenarios of cimate change impacts on the amount and quaity of water runoff. Scenario resuts were discussed with oca authorities, forest managers and poicy makers, and optima adaptation strategies for forest management were defined. Joining forces The Forest Service of Upper Austria is responsibe for forest management in the province, whie oca foresters impement management pans at oca eve. Both parties were invoved in mode buiding, defining concrete forest management scenarios, and checking the pausibiity of mode resuts. Jointy prepared training courses in the piot area offered forest practitioners an opportunity to discuss cimate change adaptation options. As the focus was on forest water reations, experts and oca authorities invoved in the water sector aso participated in the discussions. Further outreach took pace through an internationa workshop. Facts and findings Since the 19th century, temperatures in the European Aps have risen by amost 2 C. In the study area, a further increase of between 2 and 5 C is predicted by 2100, with the biggest rise in the summer. An
increase in winter precipitation of up to 20 percent is predicted, aong with a simiar decrease in summer precipitation (the atter subject to greater uncertainty). Norway spruce is the most abundant tree species in Austria but is aso the most vunerabe to rises in temperature. Many forest sites at ower to midde atitudes wi become unsuitabe for Norway spruce in the future. Even today, the homogeneous spruce pantations created at natura beech forest sites can be considered highy vunerabe and unstabe. At higher atitudes, however, the growth of Norway spruce may even be stimuated. A spruce forests are at risk from an increase in bark beete infestations: probaby driven by cimate warming, such infestations cause damage to forest ecosystem functions over arge areas, and reduce the incomes of forest owners. Managing impacts Forest management has various impacts on water quaity. The prevaent approach to Norway spruce management has ed to even-aged, homogeneous forests that are ess resiient than mixed conifer-deciduous forests and therefore subject to greater and more frequent disturbance. Norway spruce forests are typicay managed using cear-cuts or sheterwood cutting, which potentiay causes the contamination of water sources. With respect to nitrates, and probaby aso turbidity, the expected impacts of cimate change wi enhance the negative effects of management interventions on water quaity. An appropriate management option for optimising water protection, which is particuary important in protected areas, is therefore the creation of mixed forest stands that incude a wider range of naturay occurring tree species, aong with the estabishment of a continuous cover forest management system. These two goas are part of the overa best practice cataogue for forest management in drinking water protected areas. Particuary in the ight of the expected impacts of cimate change on forests, the introduction of such a management system is recommended.
Putting resuts into practice To protect and guarantee the provision of freshwater suppy for future generations under cimate change conditions, severa improvements in forest management and reevant poicies and strategies are necessary. These incude: The eaboration of suitabe forest management pans for each water protected area and conservation zone. The deveopment and impementation of the new subsidy programme Forests for Water, within the framework of the EU s Rura Deveopment Poicy 2014 2020, by the Federa Ministry of Agricuture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management to improve the impacts of forests on the water regime and to cean up ditches and riverside forests, taking into account scientific findings and recommendations and various EU strategies and egisation. The promotion of further research programmes to obtain greater knowedge about the future impacts of cimate change and the necessary adaptation measures for the sustainabe protection of drinking water resources. The incusion of specific binding egisation excusivey on drinking water protected areas within the Austrian Federa Forest Act. The evauation of existing water protection zones and the eaboration of an action pan for improvements. Greater consideration of important drinking water bodies within spatia panning instruments. The continuous and punctua impementation of existing cimate change adaptation and mitigation poicies and strategies. The raising of awareness among reevant actors of the impacts of forest management on water quaity and quantity.
1 Piot Study 1: Adapted forest management at LTER Zöbeboden 5 6 2 Piot Study 2: Cimate change adaptation measures in Romanian agricuture 2 Piot Study 3: Cimate change adaptation in the new water regime in Pugia region, Itay 3 Piot Study 4: Effects of cimate change on the wetand ecosystems of Attica region, Greece Piot Study 5: Water resources and the use of hydroeectricity, Itay 4 Piot Study 6: Vunerabiity assessment in Budapest and Veszprém www.orientgateproject.org Contacts Lead partner, project coordinator Antonio Navarra Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Cimate Change (CMCC) Via Augusto Imperatore 16 73100 Lecce, Itay Emai: antonio.navarra@cmcc.it www.cmcc.it Giuia Gauccio Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Cimate Change (CMCC) Corso Magenta 63 20123 Mian Itay Te.: (39-02) 520 36988 Emai: giuia.gauccio@cmcc.it www.cmcc.it Thematic centre eader and Piot Study 1 coordinator Hubert Siege Forest Department, Federa Ministry of Agricuture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management Marxergasse 2 Vienna A1030 Austria Te.: (43-1) 71100/7301 Emai: hubert.siege@ebensministerium.at Thomas Dirnböck Environment Agency Austria Ecosystem Research & Environmenta Information Management Spitteauer Lände 5 1090 Wien Austria Te: +43-(0)1-313 04/3442 thomas.dirnboeck@umwetbundesamt.at