Integrate+

Viktor Barrera (Regional Manager Patagonia Headquarters) and Juan Carlos Pinilla (Senior researcher), both from INFOR, were especially interested in the topics close to nature forest management approaches and their applicability to Chilean forests, retention and restoration management and means for knowledge transfer, training and education. They were open for identifying options for collaboration between INFOR and Integrate+. The field excursion took the group to the Marteloscope ‘Rosskopf’ (beech-fir forest with large Douglas fir). After an introduction of the Freiburg City Forest, and the applications of Marteloscopes and the corresponding virtual tree selection software, intensive discussions started on forest management concepts applied in Germany and Chile. In particular, the situation in the region of Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was highlighted in which no management is conducted in native forests. For such forests an adapted stepping stone management concept could be a good model in order to ensure biodiversity conservation and forests stability while producing timber. This is especially relevant as the region experiences often uncontrolled harvesting in particular for fuelwood. Such harvesting often results in a degradation of such native stands.

Further the Chilean delegation expressed their interest to investigate modes of cooperation. Ideas that were developed included, the establishment of Marteloscopes in typical native forest types and designing a demonstration/training site on landscape scale for testing/studying adapted stepping stone concepts in Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo.

“Any such activity would best be preceded by a visit from a Chilean delegation including forest industry land owners, private forest owners, policy and state administration representatives, forest managers and researchers” noted both Daniel Kraus and Andreas Schuck. “This would allow to gain insight to the stepping stone concept which is e.g. applied in BaySF Ebrach” they continued. It was agreed to investigate collaboration activities in the course of 2016.