Oak on the advance

So the forest will still be climate-friendly in 100 years’ time

42 percent of Upper Austria's land area is forest.

(Bild: P. Huber)

On today's Forest Day, experts once again remind us of the enormous importance of forests for people and nature. And not without good reason: almost half of Upper Austria's land area is forested - and the trend is rising. But one thing is clear: the forest of the future will be different from that of the present.

It lives for up to 1,000 years, is home to the most insect species and promotes health: it is no coincidence that the Kuratorium Wald association has named the oak tree the Tree of the Year 2024. On today's Forest Day, experts are pointing out its multifaceted importance: "The forest is a place of recreation, a supplier of raw materials, a source of foreign currency and has an important protective function in the mountains," says Georg Starhemberg, Chairman of proHolz OÖ.

Oak is considered stress-resistant
Recently, the forest has also become increasingly important as a water reservoir and climate regulator - and the oak is likely to play a more important role here in the future than it has to date. This is because it is considered stress-tolerant due to its deep roots and will therefore become increasingly important for silvicultural management as a result of climate change, confirms proHolz Managing Director Markus Hofer.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV, stock.adobe.com)

Less spruce, more fir
"We have to decide today what our forest will look like in 100 years' time," says Starhemberg. In addition to oak, beech and, among the conifers, fir and Douglas fir will play a greater role. Spruce, which is omnipresent today, will retreat - "to where it finds good conditions".

(Bild: Krone KREATIV, stock.adobe.com)

Reforestation has begun
As much as the distribution of trees will change, one thing remains constant: As stipulated in the Forestry Act, no more wood will ever be removed than will grow back. And that is quite a lot: "Every five minutes, enough wood grows back in Upper Austria to build a detached house," illustrates Starhemberg. Over the past 50 years, the forest in Austria as a whole has grown by the size of Burgenland - a trend that is likely to continue for the time being: The Austrian Federal Forests have just started this year's reforestation. Most of the young plants - around 370,000 - will be planted in Upper Austria.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

Educational laboratory launched
In order to continue to do justice to the relevance of forests, an educational laboratory for wood and forests was recently launched. "Four ministries and numerous stakeholders such as universities, universities of applied sciences and companies are on board," says Starhemberg as chairman of the steering group. The purpose of the laboratory is to produce teaching material prototypes for educational institutions.