LIFE Project: Sustainable adaptation to climate change in forestry sector management in the province of Soria
- Type Project
- Status In progress
- Execution 2020 -2025
- Assigned Budget 1.591.588,00 €
- Scope Europeo
- Autonomous community Castilla y León
- Main source of financing LIFE
- Project website Web del proyecto
LIFE SORIA FORESTADAPT seeks to increase the resilience of southern European forests to climate change by including adaptation measures in public and private forest management plans. A Forest Management Technical Reference with climate change adaptation measures will be the basis for gradually modifying forest management plans throughout the province of Soria. The project will update the long-term planning of 200,881 ha of public forest (an average of 12,000 ha/year will adopt climate change adaptation measures) and will also influence afforestation programs on private land, especially agricultural land.
The information currently available on the climate vulnerability of the forest sector is primarily based on large time scales (e.g., climate predictions for 2050 and 2100) and at the global level. Therefore, it is very difficult for forest managers to determine the climate vulnerability of a specific forest area and adjust management plans accordingly to improve the resilience of those forests to long-term climate change. Both public and private forest managers are showing growing interest in climate change due to increased droughts, wildfires, and the emergence of pests and diseases, and the increased frequency of extreme weather events. These will have major environmental (forest habitats and species, ecosystem services) and economic (forest productivity) impacts. In the Spanish province of Soria, for example, forest management has been carried out since the Middle Ages, but it now needs to be modified to make forests more resilient to climate change.
- Improve the knowledge base and monitoring of adaptation measures in public forest management plans and new afforestation programs on private lands.
- Contribute to the development and demonstration of innovative forestry practices.
- Develop an expanded methodology (first created in LIFE AgriAdapt) with certified indicators to assess forest vulnerability and support decision-making.
- Replicate this methodology across Europe using the certification tools of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Association for Spanish Forest Certification (PEFC) and the indicators obtained for new forest management plans adapted to climate change.
- Focus adaptation measures on soil conservation and carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, and air quality.
- Develop replicable adaptation measures in relict and priority forest ecosystems threatened by climate change (Pinus uncinata, Juniperus thurifera, Taxus baccata, etc.).
- Involve the private sector in financing adaptation measures that complement carbon offsetting measures in the forestry sector.
- Computer tool for assessing climate change adaptation in timber and non-timber forest production.
- Technical Reference Document for Forest Management Plans, with climate change adaptation measures for the province of Soria and, by extension, for the entire Community of Castile and León.
- Study with precise projections of phytoclimatic variations in 1 km grids.
- Modification of forest management plans (an average of 5 per year, 36,000 ha during the project, 200,881 ha long-term) and 4 “Zone Notebooks,” which establish criteria for forestation on private agricultural lands.
- Six reports with adaptive measures in resin production, beekeeping, mushroom harvesting, truffle production, pastures, and water management.
- 5,000 hectares of forests will be certified under the FSC and 10,000 hectares under the PEFC, which will also incorporate adaptive management criteria. This will have a potential impact on 301,000 hectares of FSC-certified forests and 2,243,022 hectares of PEFC-certified forests in Spain.
- A business platform (minimum of 65 companies) to work on adaptation measures associated with carbon offset projects.
- The project's results will be included in European, national, and regional adaptation plans, primarily those of the Spanish Rural Development Framework Program.
- Dissemination of the results through participation in international and national events, the organization of an exhibition, training for at least 1,500 schoolchildren, 1,500 adults, and 60 technicians and representatives of interest groups, a website, and 25 broadcasts on Spanish Television and 8 videos on YouTube and similar channels.
- Coordinator/entity name: Beatriz Oliver Pozo
Postal address: Corro del Postigo, 1, 34337, Fuentes de Nava
The project will contribute to the EU Adaptation Strategy, specifically Action 4 on closing the knowledge gap, Action 5 on developing information on climate change adaptation, and Action 6 on facilitating climate action through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Rural Development Programmes. It will also support Spanish and regional climate change strategies.
- FUNDACIóN GLOBAL NATURE
- FUNGE (Fundación General de la Universidad de Valladolid)
- FEC (Fundación Privada Empresa y Clima)
- PEFC (Asociación para la Certificación Española Forestal_ PEFC España)
- CESEFOR (Fundación Centro de Servicios y Promoción Forestal y de su Industria de Castilla y León)
- UVA (Universidad de Valladolid)
- FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)
Related projects
