Transitioning monocultures to complex forest stands in Central Europe: principles and practice

Description

The high expectations placed on forests in Europe require an integrative approach to forest management. Heterogeneous mixed-species stands are of special interest as they fulfil many ecosystem services better than monocultures, and consequently homogenous forest stands are now often transformed into more heterogeneous stands. This chapter contrasts even-aged monoculture forests and selection forests, describing the transition from monocultures to more complex forest stands. The chapter presents practical examples of transformation and models for scenario analysis, as well as explaining the principles of selection forest management. Finally, the chapter looks ahead to future research trends in this area.

Table of contents

1 Introduction 2 Even-aged monoculture forests versus selection forests 3 The transition from monocultures to more complex forest stands 4 The concept of transformation 5 A practical example of transformation 6 Models for scenario analysis 7 Principles of selection forest management 8 A practical example of selection forest management 9 Future trends and conclusion 10 Acknowledgements 11 References