The conference Uneven-aged silviculture: insights into forest adaptation in times of global change (18-20 September 2023) is organized by the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology MENDELU and University Forest Enterprise (UFE) Křtiny in conjunction with the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO) section 1.05 & 1.09. The conference is also part of the UFE Křtiny 100th anniversary celebrations.
The main topics discussed at the conference will be mixed forests differentiated by species, age and space in connection with the forest adaptation to climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable wood production. The forests also carry a whole range of ecosystem services, as expected and demanded by society. The conference lectures will also cover these topics. It also corresponds to the motto of the UFE presentation: “Silviculture for climate change and society “.
“At the UFE, we follow the path of stands managed in ways closer to nature, which are more richly structured. Diversity guarantees significantly better stability in the future. If we have five to ten tree species in each stand with which we can work in that structurally rich fashion, and one falls due to climate change, nothing will happen. It is not possible to say about a monocultures and homogeneous stand,” Tomáš Vrška, UFE Křtiny director, explains the trajectory in the MENDELU forests.
The university forests under the administration of UFE Křtiny are pioneers in new management procedures, from the principle of their position – forests with a special purpose for research and teaching. The UFE shares the results of its work with forest owners and students. It also provides facilities for scientists and other stakeholders. “The UFE has training stands for students and foresters. The MENDELU forests are a natural laboratory. National and European projects, including Horizon Europe, are conducted here,” says Vrška.
The conference will also showcase practical demonstrations. “We will present the transformation of formally even-aged forests to uneven-aged forests after 50 years, changes in tree species composition in the forest stands under climate change and the best examples of beech silviculture. We also aim to discuss the economic concept of a continuous forestry cover; Dauerwald,” Tomáš Vrška outlines some of the planned demonstrations
The several-day meeting will offer much more practical demonstrations and the opportunity to discuss directly in the stands. The post-conference excursion will take the participants to the Kinský family estate in Žďár nad Sázavou. Here, the debate will focus on converting the even-age spruce stands to uneven-aged mixed stands with beech, silver fir and maples and on the researchers’ and practical foresters’ experiences after 28 years of conversion.
A completely different but no less exciting excursion plot will be provided by the Podyjí National Park. Its buffer zone is an excellent example of the conversion of Scots pine stands into oak-dominated mixed forests. As a result, the area is also unique in supporting biodiversity.
The event is held Křtiny in conjunction with the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO) section 1.05 & 1.09. IUFRO aims to promote global cooperation in forestry and related fields and to promote an understanding of the ecological, economic and social aspects of forests and trees, but also to expand scientific knowledge and participate in forestry policy and management. Accordingly, IUFRO also represents its members in international forums such as the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe, and cooperates with other global organizations such as FAO or CIFOR.
Contact persons for further information: Ing. Pavlína Pancová Šimková, Ph.D., Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management FFWT MENDELU, +420 545 134 065, pavlina.simkova@mendelu.cz
doc. Ing. Tomáš Vrška, Dr., director of the University Forest Enterprise Masaryk Forest Křtiny, +420 602 794 216, tomas.vrska@slpkrtiny.cz