The European beech once covered Europe from the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean, and beech forests – so-called “stands” – still thrive across much of the continent. Fagus sylvatica can grow up to 50 metres tall and live up to 500 years. It is a truly iconic species – in fact, two venerable beech specimens took the first two places in this year’s Awarded as European Tree of the Year.
But it is a different story for Primary and old beech forestsnamely where LIFE Forecasts – Protecting primary forests in Europe – intervenes. Experts from the four-year project, funded with 1.4 million euros by the EU, say it is important to distinguish between modern beech forests – is considered a success story of nature – and primeval forests, some of which have existed for thousands of years but whose value has been underestimated until now.
These remarkable forests are also crucial in the fight against climate change. UNESCO recently estimated that the Old and primeval beech forests in the Carpathians and other regions of Europe They absorb 11 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per hectare annually, making them one of the five most important natural and mixed UNESCO World Heritage sites.
“Where would we be without the trees?” says former EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius“They clean the air and feed the clouds. They keep soils healthy and are essential to our climate – and we are learning more and more about the critical role they play in protecting human health. Planting new trees is important, but it is equally important to look after existing trees – both for their natural value and for their carbon stock.”
This is the core message of LIFE Prognoses, whose mission is to map, investigate and raise awareness of the five ancient European beech forests in the Alps, Carpathians, Dinarides, Mediterranean and Pyrenees Recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, as well as a transnational UNESCO site covering 94 ancient forests in 18 European countries.
“We want to promote a Europe-wide assessment and comparison of beech forests and at the same time raise Europeans’ awareness of the importance of preserving Europe’s last primary forests,” explains Professor Christine Schmitt the University of Passau in Germany and one of the lead researchers at LIFE Prognoses.
In addition to bringing together the various maps and data on beech forests in eight Member States, LIFE Forecasts – which ends in 2024 – has compiled an up-to-date assessment of the ecosystem services provided by ancient beech forests, including recreation and tourism. The project has also a standardized protocol is created for the recording, assessment and mapping of ancient lowland and mountain beech forests in Europe and published aInspiration book” to raise awareness of the benefits of ancient beech forests. In addition, the project organized information stands at city festivals and school exchanges and provided equipment for local guides in Germany. Meetings with local communities, forest walks and cultural activities such as concerts and theater performances took place in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Slovenia and Ukraine.
LIFE Prognoses builds on several previous EU-funded initiatives to protect and restore ancient beech forests across Europe, including LIFE Carpathian Restoration, LIFE FO3REST , LIFE ENVACTCRB and BEECH POWERLIFE Forecasts also contributes to the European Biodiversity Strategy 2030, which includes the objective of ‘protecting (spatially and temporally) the last ancient forests in the EU’, as well as to the Habitats and Birds Directives and the revised Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) Regulation.
