Sustainable adaptation to climate change of forest sector management in the province of Soria

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

The information currently available on the climate vulnerability of the forest sector is mainly based on large time scales (e.g. climate predictions by 2050, 2100) and on a global basis. Therefore, it is very difficult for forest managers to determine the climate vulnerability of a specific forest area and to adjust management plans accordingly in order to improve the resilience of those forests to climate change in the long term. Managers of both public- and privately-owned forests are showing an increasing interest in climate change, due to increases in droughts, forest fires and pest and disease occurrence, and more frequent extreme weather events. These will have a big environmental (forest habitats and species, ecosystem services) and economic (forest productivity) impact. In the Spanish province of Soria, for example, forest management has been ongoing since the Middle Ages, but this management now needs to be modified to make the forests more resilient to climate change.

OBJECTIVES

The LIFE SORIA FORESTADAPT project aims to increase the resilience of southern European forests to climate change, including through adaptation measures in public and private forest management plans. A Technical Reference for Forest Management with climate change adaptation measures will be the basis for a gradual modification of the forest management plans throughout the province of Soria. The project will update planning for 200 881 ha of public forest in the long term (an average of 12 000 ha/year will adopt climate adaptation measures) and will also influence afforestation programmes on private lands, especially agricultural land. The aim is to expand the model to the rest of the Autonomous Region of Castilla y Len, and then to the rest of Spain and Southern Europe.

Specific project objectives are to:

Improve the knowledge basis and the monitoring of adaptation measures in public forest management plans and new afforestation programmes on private lands;

Contribute to the development and demonstration of innovative silvicultural practices;

Develop an extended methodology (first created in LIFE AgriAdapt) with certified indicators to assess the vulnerability of forests and to support decision-making;

Replicate this methodology throughout Europe using the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Asociacin para la Certificacin Espaola Forestal (PEFC) certification tools and the obtained indicators for new forest management plans adapted to climate change;

Focus adaptation measures on soil conservation and carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation and air quality;

Develop replicable adaptation measures in relict and priority wooded ecosystems threatened by climate change (Pinus uncinata, Juniperus thurifera, Taxus baccata, etc.); and

Involve the private sector in financing adaptive measures to complement those of carbon footprint compensation in the forestry sector.

 

The project will contribute to the EU Adaptation Strategy, specifically Action 4 on closing the knowledge gap, Action 5 on developing climate adaptation information, and Action 6 on facilitating climate action through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Rural Development Programmes. It will also support Spanish and regional strategies on climate change.

RESULTS

Expected results:

Software tool for the evaluation of the adaptation to climate change of forest timber and non-timber production;

Technical Reference document for Forestry Management Plans, with adaptation measures to climate change for the province of Soria and, by extension, to the entire Community of Castilla y Len;

Study with accurate projections regarding phytoclimatic variations in 1 km grids;

Modification of forest management plans (average of 5 per year, 36 000 ha during the project, 200 881 ha in the long term) and 4 "Zone Notebooks", which establish criteria for afforestation on private agricultural land;

Six reports with adaptive measures in resin production, beekeeping, mushroom picking, truffle production, pastures, and water management;

5 000 ha of forests will be certified by the FSC and 10 000 by the PEFC, which, in turn, will incorporate adaptive management criteria. It will have a potential impact in Spain on 301 000 ha of FSC certified forests and 2 243 022 ha of PEFC certified forests;

A business platform (minimum of 65 companies) to work on adaptation measures associated with carbon compensation projects;

Results of the project to be included in European, national and regional adaptation plans mainly, the Spanish Framework Programme for Rural Development; and

Dissemination of results through participation in international and national events, the organisation of an exhibition, training for at least 1 500 schoolchildren, 1 500 adults and 60 technicians and representatives of stakeholder groups, a website, and 25 broadcasts on Spanish TV and 8 videos on YouTube and similar channels.