Lifeforfit Forest Fit Tender

Duration 01-SEP-2020 to 01-OCT -2028Total budget 13179082.00 EU contribution 7191527.00 Project descriptionBackground In Europe 25 million ha of forest is managed as plantations with timber production as the main goal promoting conifers in even-aged monocultures with large standing timber volumes. However this seemingly efficient way of producing timber may lead to sub-optimisation of environmental social and economical goals. For this reason Close to Nature Forestry CNF practices have been introduced to increase adaptabilityresilience through species mixtures and structural variation. However the shift towards CNF has taken place only on a small scale and mainly in State forests. Appropriate planning tools for management are missing and due to the long-term nature of forest production 50-100 years in northern Europe economic effects on land value cash flow and rate of return are not documented nor are effects on ecosystem services. For a large group of professional foresters and forest owners this makes CNF a less realistic and attractive alternative compared to traditional forestry plantations. Objectives The LIFEFORFIT project strategy is to develop tools models and manuals to reduce barriers for Close to Nature Forestry CNF-implementation combined with the large-scale demonstration testing and dissemination of CNF practices. The project beneficiaries will work on approximately 220 locations in 85 forests covering an area of around 4 850 ha delivering relevant planning and management tools in collaboration with a large and diverse group of stakeholders and partners.The project will specifically seek to Develop demonstrate and promote the conversion of traditional even-aged single species conifer stands into CNF in forests owned by the Danish Nature Agency and Schleswig-Holstein State Forests in Germany Contribute to implementing the CNF principles in the private forestry sector on a larger scale by providing the knowledge lacking on planning economy and stand management in the conversion phase Build capacity share best practice increase and update knowledge and experience as well as awareness in CNF principles andpractice amongst the main stakeholders i.e. private forest owners and forest staff NGOs the general public and educational institutions to ensure replicability and transferability Establish the baseline and framework including a network of demonstration plots for future long-term monitoring of growthyieldhealthbiodiversity and carbon-storage in conifer forests managed according to CNF principles Provide recommendations on CNF as a method to improve economic and environmental sustainability of conifer forests Develop new support schemes on CNF management and afforestation.The project contributes to a range of EU policy goals including the EU Forest Strategy as CNF supports the balanced multifunctional roles of forests