Forests and climate change. The role of forests in climate protection

Associated persons Hanns Kirchmeir, Michael Huber, Anneliese Fuchs, Romana Piiroja
Regions Austria
Year 2021

The role of forests and their development in times of climate change have come into focus in recent years. While climate change is increasingly affecting our forests, it simultaneously needs to serve more diverse demands – for example in connection with increased use of renewable resources. The question of whether we more likely to achieve the Paris climate goals by intensifying or extensifying the use of wood guides the broad professional and political discourse.

In the context of the MUTTER ERDE Focus 2021 titled „Klima schützen, Arten schützen!“ (Climate protection is species protection!), E.C.O. was commissioned with a study to shed comprehensive scientific light on this topic and to derive options for action. By means of literature research and expert interviews, we looked into topics of climate change and forests, effects on forests and forestry as well as possible contributions of forests to climate protection. The study forms an important building block in this discourse and was published by WWF Austria at the beginning of 2022.