Forests in the Alpine region are seriously threatened by declining utilization and climate change, which is leading to a decline in natural resources and the essential services provided by forests. This in turn leads to high costs that make it difficult for both public and private owners to manage forests sustainably.
The Forest EcoValue project remedies this by proposing sustainable business models that focus on circular, green and organic value chains in sectors such as energy, construction, chemicals/pharmaceuticals, food and recreation.
By bringing together the efforts of the public and private sectors, as well as the participation of citizens, Forest EcoValue aims to create market frameworks and payment systems for forest ecosystem services. Through these sustainable business models, Forest EcoValue can create green businesses and green jobs, thus boosting the economy of the entire region.
The proposed solutions will be tested in a pilot action. This consists of a network of 5 Living Labs in Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia.
The project focuses on the use of forest areas in terms of
Period of the program
2021 – 2027
Objective
Promoting the transition to a circular and resource-efficient economy
Start date
11/2022
End date
10/2025
The Austrian Living Lab covers the whole of Styria, the most densely forested province in Austria with a forest cover of 61.4%. From floodplains and wine regions at 200 m above sea level to high alpine areas at up to 3,000 m, the forest composition is very diverse. It ranges from typical alluvial forests in the south with poplar, willow, alder and oak to lower acidic soil areas with beech-oak forests with fir and sweet chestnut in the east to spruce, beech, pine, fir, ash and sycamore in the medium altitudes and up to larch and Swiss stone pine in the high mountains. 65 % of the forest area is coniferous forest, 27 % is mixed forest and 8 % is deciduous forest. 17.2 % of the forest area is protected forest. Thanks to legally prescribed reforestation and sustainable use, the forest area is increasing and thus acts as an important CO2 sink.
1/6 of Styria’s economic output
Unique in Austria is the “dynamic forest typification”, which enables even non-professionals to select climate-adapted tree species and thus increase stability and biodiversity. 22.9 % of Styrian forests are owned by large forest owners (more than 1000 ha), 55 % are owned by small forest owners (less than 200 ha), and approx. 9 % are owned by Österreichische Bundesforste AG. Forests are responsible for 1/6 of Styria’s economic output. Styrian forests provide a range of important ecosystem services, from the provision of wood and CO2 sequestration to protection, habitat and recreational functions.
Forest Eco Services
supports cross-border cooperation projects and enables joint transnational solutions.
“xxx”