SF Franche-Comté - Sustainable management
of deciduous non-even-aged high forests.
LIFE99 ENV/F/000477
Project description Environmental issues Beneficiaries Administrative data R e a d m o r e Contact details:
Project Manager: Jean Michel MOUREY
Tel: +33 3 81 65 78 94
Fax: +33 3 81 83 27 55
Email: [email protected]
Project description:
Background
There is increasing debate nowadays between those who advocate regular
treatment, i.e. the development of even-aged stands, in forestry, and the
proponents of irregular treatment (uneven-aged stands). Such discussions are
often marked by heated arguments in which the opposing position is wilfully
caricatured or distorted. The truth of the matter is that, while we can call upon
long experience in the management of even-aged plantations, it has to be
admitted that technical references are few and far between in the case of
uneven-aged plantations, such experiments as exist being rare and recent. Some
tools for sustainable uneven-aged deciduous high forest management already
exist. But there is a real need for complementary tools, and above all for ensuring
the demonstration, development and diffusion of all these tools, in order that
they can be widely and efficiently applied. Whereas even-aged high forest
management has been used for a long time and is now well-known, uneven-aged
high forest management is innovative and remains poor in deciduous forests: it
is therefore handled in an intuitive and limited way. Objectives
In order to achieve sustainable forest management, it is necessary to have several
w el l-master ed m an a g em e n t m et h o ds a t o u r d i s p o s a l t o a d a p t t o t h e d i v e r s ity of
local situations. In particular, uneven-aged high forest management sometimes
local situations. In particular, uneven-aged high forest management sometimes
allows better environmental integration. Lastly, the intuitive approach to
uneven-aged management which is often adopted risks deviating from
sustainable management. The project aims to provide forest-owners
("communes" i.e. public authorities and private owners) and forest-managers
with reliable technical tools to sustainably manage uneven-aged deciduous high
forest. The expected results were: - sustainable uneven-aged high forest
management of deciduous forests (regeneration, equilibrium, stability), biodiversity enhanced through diversification of management methods, - in
some contexts, better preservation of the ecosystem and sensitive landscapes, economic advantages for owners, - additional rural employment. Results
The project was conducted in Franche-Comté, the most forested region in
France, where the various players have experience of working together.
Supported by European funding, the Regional Council of Franche-Comté, the
Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, it associated partners of
public and private forests (SFFC, ONF, CRPF and owners), experts and scientists.
The project was set up in four operational phases: -Elaborating the decision
making and management and monitoring of complementary tools. These were to
be constructed by studying existing information (forest management plans, data
bases etc.) and by discussions between experts of various kinds. -Setting up a
demonstration network of these tools in conjunction with forest-owners: a forest
management plan on 1000 pilot hectares and 50 demonstration sites. -Carrying
out development operations (training, raising awareness, publicising) aimed at
forest owners and managers: some 1100 persons concerned. -Ensuring a wide
and efficient dissemination of the results through the distribution of informative
documents (sylviculture guides, decision-making documents for the choice of
treatments, forest management plan schemes, documents describing monitoring
tools, videotapes), publications (Bulletin de la Société Forestière de
Franche-Comté, Revue Forestière Française, Bois National etc.) and international
meetings. The "Communes" (public authorities) were closely associated with the
whole process as forest-owners. The initiatives implemented in the context of
the LIFE project were based on the use of previously developed technical tools :
-environment description tools (station catalogues), -stands description tool
(typology of plantings), -forestry reference segments (regional demonstration
network, scientific networks of the AFI and ONF). Development of additional
tools This involved devising tools in addition to those already developed, which
are reliable, easy to use and to the benefit of owners and managers: Some
studies were carried out to enable the development of tools: -tests of the use of
the typology, -reports on existing experiments, -creation and analysis of a
production database. 3 types of tools were developed: -Decision aids for growing
woodland: grid for selecting an approach and method for the use of
classification for cartography. -Management tools for the definition of
management policies for each type of planting, in the context of each station and
according to their composition and richness, in order to maintain them or
redirect them towards the desired objective. -Management monitoring tools for
managers wishing to know if an adequate diffuse tree renewal method and a
transition to stands status were being provided and if development of their
plantings respected the natural environment and encouraged conservation
(regeneration, composition, structure). Establishing demonstration tools This
involved the establishment, in consultation with the owners, of a demonstration
network for all tools needed for the controlled management of irregular
broadleaf stands. Pilot management units were put in place with 15 pilot forests
(public) for monitoring the irregular stands. A network of 51 demonstration
sample plots was set up in both public and private forests, geographically well
distributed, complementary to the scientific network (AFI and ONF) and serving
as a medium for training. An economic study was carried out by AFI forestry
experts to establish management and working costs. Realisation of development
initiatives Development initiatives have been and will continue to be
implemented in order to provide training and raise awareness by the various
participants in the procedures (managers, owners, operators, etc.) Educational
workshops were put in place with: - 6 typological trail with "perchodromes" (land
where young trees are selected for their planting suitability and for staff training
purposes) illustrating the main types of planting, - 4 "martelodromes" (land
where mature trees are selected to study the next stage in their management, i.e.
felling or retention, mainly used for staff training). Demonstration sample plots
and pilot forests can also be used for training. Two kinds of regional training
initiatives were put in place : - training in description, strategy and management
monitoring tools, forest structuring and biodiversity, - publicity and raising
awareness. Top
Environmental issues addressed:
Themes
Habitats - Forests
Land-use & Planning - Forest management
Keywords
employment‚ rural area‚ forest management‚ environmental protection advice Target EU Legislation
Nature protection and Biodiversity
COM(98)42 -"Communication on a European Community Biodiversity
Strategy" (05.02.1998)
COM(2001)162 -"Biodiversity Action Plan for the conservation of natural
resources (vol. I & II)" ...
Natura 2000 sites
Not applicable
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Beneficiaries:
Coordinator
Type of organisation
Description
Partners
Société Forestière de Franche-Comté
NGO-Foundation
The beneficiary is the Franche-Comté Forestry
Company (Société Forestière de
Franche-Comté). The role of this association is
to coordinate the work of those responsible for
the management of public and private forests
in Franche-Comté. Office national des Forêts Centre Régional de la
Propriété forestière de Franche-Comté Top
Administrative data:
Project reference
Duration
Total budget
EU contribution
Project location
LIFE99 ENV/F/000477
22-NOV-1999 to 22-NOV -2003
596,311.95 €
296,326.59 €
Franche-Comté(France)
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Read more:
Publication
Publication: Book
Title: Development of the sustainable
management of irregular broad-leaf forests in
Franche-Comté Author: Société forestière de
Franche-Comté Year: 2003 Editor: Imprimerie
Simon Title: Development of the sustainable
management of irregular broad-leaf forests in
Franche-Comté Author: Charles Allegrini
Year: 2003 Top
Project description Environmental issues Beneficiaries Administrative data R e a d m o r e