Niels Elers Koch Niels Elers Koch Hrsholm, Denmark Hrsholm, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Niels Elers Koch

Hørsholm, Denmark

Niels Elers Koch

Hørsholm, Denmark

Danish Centre for Forest, Landscape and Planning Danish Centre for Forest, Landscape and Planning

The Marcus Wallenberg Prize Symposium The Marcus Wallenberg Prize Symposium September 29, 2006 September 29, 2006 Managing Forests for Social and Environmental Benefits Managing Forests for Social and Environmental Benefits Niels Niels Elers Elers Koch Koch IUFRO Vice IUFRO Vice-

• President

President Director of the Danish Centre for Forest, Landscape and Planning Director of the Danish Centre for Forest, Landscape and Planning

with contributions from with contributions from Frank Frank S Sø øndergaard ndergaard Jensen, Karsten Jensen, Karsten Raulund Raulund Rasmussen, Bo Rasmussen, Bo Jellesmark Jellesmark Thorsen Thorsen, and , and IUFRO IUFRO’ ’s s Special Project on World Forests, Society and Environment Special Project on World Forests, Society and Environment

Forest Forest ecosystem ecosystem services services

• Forests provide services to people and

societies such as

– maintenance of good air quality and climate – protection of hydrological functions, soils and biological diversity – provision of timber, non-timber forests products and genetic resources – other social, cultural, spiritual, aesthetic, recreational and educational benefits.

• Forest ecosystems do not yield goods

and services of the same quality or quantity at all locations.

Source: IUFRO's Special Project on World Forests, Society and Environment, 2006.

A major A major paradigm paradigm change change

• Payments for environmental

services (PES) is a mechanism whereby those who benefit may financially compensate those who provide the services.

• With these payments, the focus

shifts from the control of forest management activities, to the value of environmental services to people.

• PES systems are concrete instruments that incorporate

the value of services into forest management for enhancing sustainable forestry.

Source: IUFRO's Special Project on World Forests, Society and Environment, 2006.

PES PES – – an approach based on an approach based on market mechanisms market mechanisms

• This approach incorporates the

economic value of environmental services into the financial decision making process of producers and consumers.

• It relies on the creation of markets for

environmental services, in which providers and beneficiaries of those services interact in pursuit of their respective interests.

Source: IUFRO's Special Project on World Forests, Society and Environment, 2006.

Payments provide incentives Payments provide incentives for sustainable management for sustainable management

• Payments aim at influencing the

decisions of the landowners towards practices that maintain or enhance the flow of environmental services, and away from unsustainable activities that diminish the flow of these services.

• Shortcomings in direct regulation approaches to forest

management, and declining government budgets for forest management activities emphasize the need for market-based instruments like PES schemes.

• If markets are to produce welfare improvements, they

need to be designed to provide the correct incentives.

Source: IUFRO's Special Project on World Forests, Society and Environment, 2006.

Multifunctional Multifunctional Sustainable Sustainable Forest Forest Management Management

• Climate change
• Air pollution
• (Over)-exploitation
• Herbivore population
• Stochastic disturbances
• Market / Cost
• Socio-economical

dynamics (e.g. CAP policy)

• Society demands

Benefits Pressures

Production

• Fiber
• Non-fiber products

Environmental services

• C-sequestration
• Water protection
• Biodiversity

Social services

• Recreation
• Rural development

Source: Gundersen et al., 2006

Forests and Outdoor Recreation Forests and Outdoor Recreation

million vi million vis sits its per year per year visits per hectare visits per hectare per year per year

USA1 (1996): 859 > 10 United Kingdom (1994): 303 > 100

1(USDA Forest Service Land) 2(Paris Metropolitan Area)

France2 (1999): 90 > 1000 Denmark (1994): 75 > 150

Source: Moore & Driver 2005, Countryside Recreation Network 1996, Maresca 2000, Jensen & Koch 2004.

Living Living near near the the forest forest has a has a value value

Results Results from a Danish from a Danish study study of

• f two

two different different areas areas

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

Distance from forest (m)

Increase in property value % of price True Bakkely

Source: Anthon et al. 2005.

Social services: Rural Social services: Rural Development Development

About 1,6 billion people depend on forests to varying extents for their livelihoods Some 60 million people are employed in forestry and forest- based industries (3,4 million in EU) Forests provide a range of goods and services – especially in rural areas United Nations Forum on Forests: Global Objective 2 (out of 4): Enhancing forest-based economic, social and environmental benefits

Source: IUFRO’s Special Project on World Forests, Society and Environment and UNFF 2006.

Forests Forests

• protecting

protecting biodiversity biodiversity

• The recreational values related to

forests are large. - In Denmark for example corresponding to more than 150 Euro/hectare and year

• At the same time the world’s forests

provide habitats to about two-thirds

• f all species on earth
• Research tells us that the value that

the preservation of biodiversity has may outweigh the recreational values

• In preservation and restoration

projects, this value may exceed the recreational value by a factor 2 or even much more

Source: Dubgaard 1998, Jacobsen et al. 2006, Pearce & Pearce 2001.

Biodiversity Biodiversity

Functional Functional Authentic Authentic Harmful Harmful Rare and sensitive Rare and sensitive

Conflicts and interactions with forest management Conflicts and interactions with forest management

• Timber harvesting prior to mature phase

Timber harvesting prior to mature phase reduces biodiversity reduces biodiversity

• Retention of dead wood for biodiversity

Retention of dead wood for biodiversity may constitute a sanitary risk may constitute a sanitary risk

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Age, yr

100 200 300 400

t C ha-1

Carbon in trees and soil Carbon in soils alone

200

Carbon Carbon sequestration sequestration after after afforestation afforestation

Afforestation Afforestation chronosequences chronosequences in Denmark and in Denmark and Sweden Sweden

Source: Vesterdal et al., 2006

Conflicts and interactions with forest management

• Tree species often influence

carbon sequestration (growth rate)

• Rotation age influences carbon

sequestration

Drainage Drainage regime and regime and soil soil C C stock stock

Soil Soil C in 0 C in 0-

• 50 cm in

50 cm in the the vicinity vicinity of

• f a

a forest forest wetland wetland

1 2 3 4

Elevation, m

50 100 150 200 250

Soil carbon, t/ha

Conflicts and interactions

• Ditching reduces C sequestration

wetland

• ak stand

Source: Vesterdal, 2006, unpub.

Water Water is a is a scarce scarce resource resource

Source: Stockholm International Water Institute 2006.

Forest management influences Forest management influences water quality water quality

Conflicts and interactions with forest management

• Management (e.g. clearcutting)

influences water quality (nitrate)

• The effect often declines after 3-5

years due to growth of other plants

5 10 15 20 25 mg NO

3-N / l, before clear cut

5 10 15 20 25 mg NO

3-N / l, after clear cut

Effect of clear cut on nitrate in seepage or run off water

51 observations collected by Gundersen et al., 2006.

Source: Rune, 1997.

1948 1985

Spontaneous invasion of spruce Spontaneous invasion of spruce

• n the desiccated bog
• n the desiccated bog

The bog is desiccated because of

• water abstraction in the surroundings
• change of tree species from beech to spruce
• ditching of the forest.

Conclusions Conclusions

Forests are very important for recreation and rural development Forests are very important for biodiversity Forests sequester lots of carbon Water from forests is generally of good quality Forests are relatively thirsty and may reduce water in nature and for human use Trees do not grow into the heavens Forest management significantly influences the services And conflicts between the services and between different interest groups are unavoidable But optimization is possible

– if you know how

Overall conclusions/statements Overall conclusions/statements

Never before have so many people demanded so many different and often conflicting goods and services from the forests This calls for improved:

• forest policies,
• forest management, and
• forest research

And it calls for a better co-operation between forest politicians, managers and researchers We are on our way:

• On the Global level: UNFF, FAO, IUFRO, etc.
• On the European level: EU Forest Action Plan, Forest

based sector technology platform, EFI, etc. But much more needs to be done