Integrate+

Marteloscope exercice at the private forest estate of Craincourt, Lorraine

On the 16th of May EFICENT team members visited the private forest estate Craincourt in Lorraine, France. Craincourt forest is located near the commune of Delme, Lorraine and characterized by a high diversity of broadleaved tree species stocking on highly productive soils (Lias formations, Loess cover) and a highly Atlantic climate.
The estate is owned by Georg Wilhelm, a state forest officer of Rheinland-Pfalz forest administration and was the main driver behind the QD strategy development. QD is a silvicultural method that focuses on the production of high value timber with no intervention on the rest of the area: i.e. no thinning operations on stand level. All interventions are single tree oriented and based on large distances between selected trees with high value potential to ensure the development of large crowns after the qualification phase.
The special interest EFICENT developed in this method is based on the 'no intervention' philosophy that characterizes the forest area between the high value trees. The discussion in the forest further developed around the high diversity of structures and microhabitats that can be found in the forest. The field visit concluded in a Marteloscope exercise that was established by ENGREF in the forest estate and is frequently visited by forestry students. The exchange was highly valuable input for the ongoing project Integrate+.

Initiative for translating the EFI In Focus publication ‘Integrative approaches as an opportunity for the conservation of forest biodiversity’

The main outcome of the INTEGRATE project (completed in autumn 2013) was the publication of "Integrative approaches as an opportunity for the conservation of forest biodiversity". The volume contains a compilation of the best international scientific expertise on the complex relationships, trade-offs, and emerging challenges regarding the integration of forest biodiversity conservation into forest management.
The interest and feedback to this publication was very high, in particular in Central Europe with all printed copies distributed. Institutions and administrations from France, Switzerland, and Germany approached EFICENT in the possibilities of translating the English version into French and German in order to ensure an even further distribution in national languages. The process has started, including the funding for this activity.