Forest management systems

Forest management systems are defined approaches and practices used to manage forests to achieve the objectives of the forest owner and manager. Sustainable forest management aims at balancing ecological, economic and social objectives.

Common management systems

Europe's forests were exploited for centuries, targeting almost exclusively timber production. From the 17th century, more sustainable forest management activities started to be implemented, aiming to restore and maintain forest cover in Europe. The recognition of the multi-functionality of forest products and services beyond timber production is growing and is being implemented through diverse forest management techniques. Each of these techniques includes several activities including regeneration, harvesting and other silvicultural operations.

Forestry for production and multiple uses takes the most space in the EU-27

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Some of the most common management systems in Europe include:

Intensive forest management

Intensive forest management often involves monoculture forests and even-aged plantations, where the main goal is timber production. In these forests, intensive practices related to soil preparation, tending and clear-cutting are common.

Closer-to-nature forest management

Closer-to-nature forest management promotes biodiversity-friendly and adaptative practices without neglecting timber-related revenues. The forest practices applied simulate natural ecosystem processes, such as natural regeneration and single-tree selection. It also includes leaving deadwood to stimulate biodiversity. The forests are often uneven-aged and have mixed species composition.

Integrative or multifunctional management

Integrative or multifunctional forest management balances the different demands on forests, including wood production, biodiversity conservation, carbon storage, climate resilience, recreation, and water and soil protection. This approach is diverse because the management practices used reflect the various priorities and species compositions within the forest, highlighting its multifunctional nature.

Climate change adaptation through forest management like closer-to-nature forest management, continuous cover forest management and integrative forest management include several strategies and techniques that can help the forest become more resilient to the consequences of climate change. For more about these climate adaptations in forests see Climate Adapt Forestry.

Indicators for management systems

Across Europe there is a significant variance regarding the applied management system, however this information isn’t easily accessible. The table below presents the most common management activities for rotation, harvesting and species choice, for each European region. This information is an important indicator to access the management system applied to forests.

The application of management activities varies over European regions

The age-structure of a forest can also be an important indicator to understand its management history and its possible future developments, and the products and services it can provide.

Forests available for wood supply in Europe are predominantly even-aged

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Main forest management activities

The main forest management activities that jointly compose a management system are described in the following table:

Decision	Silvicultural operations	Aspects to be considered
Naturalness of tree species composition	Selection of tree species	Species composition in relation to the potential natural vegetation, share of site-adapted tree species, and share of introduced tree species
Type of regeneration	Stand establishment	Natural regeneration, planting, seeding and coppice
Forest reproductive materials	Selection of populations and tree genotypes	Selection of site adapted forest genetic material, use of improved breeding material
Soil cultivation	Soil preparation, drainage	Physical site preparation (mechanical) and drainage
Fertilization	Fertilization	Fertilization to increase yield (amelioration), compensation for nutrient extraction, and re-establishment of natural biogeochemical cycles
Application of chemical agents	Pest control	Application of pesticides and herbicides
Integration of biodiversity protection	Tree retention, special habitats	Retention of biotope/habitat trees, tolerance of deadwood, and biotope protection within stands
Harvest regimes	Cutting regime of final harvest	Continuous cover, shelterwood, clearcutting, coppice, coppice with standards
Rotation length	Final harvest	Felling age in relation to the potential life span of a given tree species
Wood removal	Thinning, final felling	Tree components (stem, stem tops, branches and stumps) extracted in thinning and harvesting operations