Month: September 2019

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Natural Climate Solutions

Nature provides one of the fastest ways to battle climate change. Reforestation combined with ecosystem-based forestry can together harvest over 20 billion tons CO2 each year.

That equal almost half of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. New forest management combined with protection provides a fantastic opportunity to start reducing the net emission of CO2.

NOTE: This DOES NOT replace the need to leave the fossil in the ground.

Link: https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/114/44/11645.full.pdf

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What is ecosystem-based forestry? And why chose the Lübeck model?

Ecosystem-based forestry is a collective name for forestry utilizing models, with nature as a role model in one way or another.

The left side illustrates a plantation, all the trees being the same. Same age, the same size and of the same species, i.e. a monoculture. The right side illustrates a natural forest, with a variety of species, sizes and ages, and a lot of deadwood.

All forestry methods can be defined by how much nature is altered. The image on the left shows how nature is completely changed and turned into a plantation. On the right, nature is more or less untouched.

The ecosystem-based forestry I´m working with is the Lübeck model. The Lübeck model aims at having the managed forest be as much like a natural forest as possible. This would be as seen as far to the right side in the picture as possible.

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What’s the guarantee?

Question: “How can Ecosystem-based management guarantee the development of really old, coarse trees that are allowed to “die of natural causes” and become the coveted really old and coarse dead wood of many species?”

That’s a really good question!

Exercise programs or diets become effective only when practiced and applied over time. The results are not guaranteed – they are an effect of practice over time.

The same is true for ecosystem-based forestry. For the Lübeck* model, there are well-defined guidelines and principles. When those are followed – the development of really old, course trees that are allowed to “die of natural causes” – are guaranteed.