Early measures for forest stand establishment within the context of climate change in Europe - Frühe Maßnahmen zur forstlichen Bestandesbegründung im Kontext des Klimawandels in Europa

Under exacerbated environmental conditions due to climate change and more frequent and more severe disturbances the establishment of forest stands has become a challenge for forest managers. This study aims at comparing stand establishment methods on a European scale. We differentiated between five biogeographic regions to detect similarities and differences regarding current practices as well as trends considering the climatic background using an expert survey. Our results allowed identifying two clusters, one boreal cluster and one European mainland cluster. In both cases mechanical soil preparation and measures against drought are seen as key factors. Experts from the boreal region give high importance to appropriate plant material and fertilization for growth acceleration, and consider insects and fungi as a primary threat. In the mainland cluster, experts rely mainly on silvicultural measures and expect damage by game to be highly detrimental for stand establishment. Across Europe the preferable countermeasure to face drought is not irrigation but a combination of strategies related to mechanical site preparation, plant material, planting method, and silviculture. This study identifies three focal areas for forest practitioners to consider when establishing new forest stands: (1) careful selection of the plant material; (2) suitable site preparation and (3) prudent deliberation on beneficial silvicultural options.