EUROPE'S forest owners must innovate to meet the challenges they face, an industry chief has said.
Josef Ziegler, president of the Bavarian Forest Owners Association, believes woodland managers "urgently need" solutions to make their sites successful.
Speaking ahead of next month's INTERFORST, one of the continent's largest forestry shows, Josef said the trade event was the perfect opportunity for the sector to share its expertise, with pests, diseases, and changing climate among the obstacles needed to be overcome.
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He said: “Forest owners face huge challenges. We urgently need innovations and solutions to be able to make the necessary adjustment and restructure our forests successfully.
"Our forests do a lot for society and, among other things, also make an indispensable contribution to climate protection.
"INTERFORST 2022 is an important meeting place for the forest industry. I am delighted that we can use the trade fair this year again to share expertise on a broader scale and one on one.”
As a leading trade fair, INTERFORST offers a host of solutions for each individual step in forest management, officials say, right up to wood recycling for a forward-looking approach to forest management.
Forests need to adapt to developments of pests, disease and changing climate as part of active and sustainable management. This involves considering all forest functions and looking decades into the future.
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Forests will only be able to continue to provide their services in future if we succeed in giving equal weight to the ecological, economic and social aspects, INTERFORST organisers say.
Innovations for planting, young stock care, and thinning are just as much key topics for the Munich exhibitors, as are careful use of machinery and soil protection.
INTERFORST offers important information and discussion opportunities on this in its supporting program. Important aspects will be highlighted in presentations by experts from the Thünen Institute for Forestry at the congress in Hall B6.
On July 19, Dr. Sebastian Glasenapp from the Thünen Institute will provide information about “Wood Use in Germany”, and on Wednesday, July 20, the head of the institute Prof. Matthias Dieter will speak on “Mobilisation for raw materials for the bioeconomy”.
At the forum, also in Hall B6, the climate change/silviculture section on July 18 will offer inspiration for future planting strategies with presentations on ordering plants, planting and planting methods.
On the Green Couch in Hall B6, Dr. Norbert Schäffer, chairman of the Bavarian Regional Society for the Protection of Birds, Georg Schirmbeck, president of the German Forestry Council, and Dr. Peter Pröbstle, head of the Bavarian State Institute for Forestry and Forest Management will discuss the topic “Forest nature conservation with a future” on July 20.
Interforst 2022 will take place from July 17 to 20. Forestry Journal will be in Munich for the show, providing in-depth coverage across all of our channels.
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