Joint Webinar: EUROPARC & LIFE Prognoses

Join our webinar!

• 03 June
• 11:00 – 12:30 CEST
• Register here!

Characteristics, ecosystem services and protection of European old-growth beech forests

Insights from the pan-European research project Life Prognoses

The Life Prognoses project is executed by a pan-European research consortium with 15 partners in 8 different European countries. This consortium conducts research to facilitate the identification and mapping of old-growth forests in Europe. Old-growth forests are severely threatened these days, especially by logging. Identification and mapping are a crucial first step towards their efficient protection.

We collected data in forests across all European biogeographic regions represented in the world heritage series “Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions in Europe”. Based on this data, we have developed a definition, indicators and criteria for identification of old-growth forests, and mapping methods applicable for the field as well as remote sensing. Furthermore, we assessed the importance of old-growth forests compared to managed forests by quantifying their ecosystem services.

During this four-year investigation, we have obtained enriching insights into the specific characteristics and functioning of old-growth forests that are crucial to understanding the importance of these forests for European biodiversity and climate change mitigation. Our research aims to inspire regional managers and policy-makers to get Europe-wide old-growth forest protection off the ground.

Join our free webinar to learn more!

Register here!

Webinar Programme:

Welcome and introduction

• Sandra Grego | Project Officer and Communications Assistant, EUROPARC Federation

What are primary and old-growth forests? Definitions and benchmark values for beech forests in Europe

• Kris Vandekerkhove | Senior Researcher in forest ecology and forest management at the Institute for Nature and Forest Research (INBO), Belgium

Quantifying old-growthness based on field data: The old-growth indicator (OGI)

• Peter Meyer | Head of the Forest Ecosystem Conservation Department at the Northwest German Forest Research Institute

Options to map old-growth forests from remote sensing data

• Manuela Hirschmugl | University of Graz; JOANNEUM RESEARCH, Austria

Structural diversity in beech forests: the Biodiversity Potential Indicators (IBP)

• Klaus Steinbauer | Senior Researcher on Sustainable Management of Conservation Areas at the UNESCO Chair and at the Institute of Ecology (ECO), Austria

Q&A, wrap up and closing remarks

• Caroline Celis | Coordinator Life Prognoses

Speakers

Kris Vandekerkhove
Senior Researcher in forest ecology and forest management at the Institute for Nature and Forest Research (INBO), Belgium

Dr. Kris Vandekerkhove is a Senior Researcher in forest ecology and forest management at the Institute for Nature and Forest Research (INBO), Belgium. For over 25 years, he has been coordinating the monitoring programme of forest reserves and was involved in research and consultancy on nature conservation in forests. He was and is also active in various international projects in the context of HORIZON Europe, LIFE, COST, Interreg, etc. He is (co-)author of several dozen international publications (A1), co-authored reference works and handbooks on forest management and nature conservation in forests, and many other publications for both specialised and wider audiences.

Peter Meyer
Head of the Forest Ecosystem Conservation Department at the Northwest German Forest Research Institute

Dr. Peter Meyer is Head of the Department for Forest Nature Conservation at the Northwest German Forest Research Institute. His research focus lies on the natural demography, structural dynamics, and disturbance ecology of temperate European forests. Peter Meyer is responsible for the long-term monitoring program in more than 170 strict forest reserves and the applied forest nature conservation research in the German states Lower Saxony, Hesse, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein. Since 2023, he is member of the Federal Government’s Scientific Advisory Council for Forest Policy, supporting the Federal Government in shaping the framework conditions for sustainable forest management. With his expertise about natural forest dynamics and forest conservation he contributes to balancing interests in forest policy.

Manuela Hirschmugl
University of Graz; JOANNEUM RESEARCH, Austria

Mag. Dr. rer.nat. Manuela Hirschmugl is a tenure track professor at University of Graz and a senior researcher at JOANNEUM RESEARCH, Austria. Her research concerns the efficient derivation of information about processes on the Earth’s surface from satellite images and other remote sensing data. More specifically, she is interested in processes that impact vegetation and forests. Therefore, she develops RS applications for forest carbon assessments, forest and land use monitoring (SAR, optical and LiDAR), and Alpine forest and vegetation monitoring in relation to climate change and other hazards.

Klaus Steinbauer
Senior Researcher on Sustainable Management of Conservation Areas at the UNESCO Chair and at the Institute of Ecology (ECO), Austria

Mag. Dr. Klaus Steinbauer is a Senior Researcher on Sustainable Management of Conservation Areas at the UNESCO Chair and at the Institute of Ecology (ECO), Austria. He is a biologist with a focus on biodiversity research, long-term monitoring and mountain ecology. Klaus works on several projects among which the Life Prognoses project and the COIN project, ‘biodiversity monitoring technologies’ (BioMONITec).