Forests
- Forests are key terrestrial ecosystems that play an irreplaceable role in climate regulation, soil protection, and the transformation of precipitation water in the Czech Republic. They represent an important pillar for mitigating the impacts of changing climatic conditions, particularly due to their ability to effectively store carbon in both biomass and forest soils.
- However, the current state of forests stands in some regions reflects the historical burden of inappropriate management practices. The conversion of original mixed forests into coniferous monocultures has led to a weakening of their natural resilience. In combination with extreme drought waves and subsequent disturbances, the capacity of forests to provide both provisioning services (timber production) and non-provisioning services, such as biodiversity protection and water management functions, is now at risk.
- Our activities in this sector focus on the transfer of scientific knowledge into practice in order to support forest adaptation to a changing climate. We strive to promote close-to-nature management approaches that enhance the retention capacity of forest landscapes, increase their stability, and ensure the long-term sustainability of all ecosystem benefits that forests provide to society.
