In spring 2024, the Hungarian Forestry Association organized a two-day event with a special focus on how to preserve natural values during forestry operations. To the average reader, it may seem strange that forestry operations – specifically timber harvesting – and conservation goals can align. However, for professionals working in forestry, it is well-known that reconciling forestry management with conservation principles is essential to ensure the acceptable preservation of forest habitats and their associated natural resources. More and more of us recognize that we need to do more to protect our remaining natural values—rare plant and animal species and vulnerable habitats—while our society and economic systems only allow limited conservation of natural resources.

In forestry, sustainable management practices are more advanced than in other sectors. Even a hundred years ago, it was well-known that the volume of timber harvesting had to be limited. However, at WWF we believe that further decisive steps need to be taken to protect the natural values of our forests. It is particularly important to highlight that—beyond regulations—the fate of a forest and its wildlife is determined by various professional traditions, organizational cultures, and favorable or unfavorable professional practices that may have existed for decades. This situation definitely needs improvement.

The purpose of the event was to present good practices and tools that can be incorporated into forest management. The two-day program was dedicated to conservation principles that can be applied while keeping forest management activities sustainable. Some of these practices were developed in the LIFE4OakForests project.
Although the LIFE4OakForests project created a conservation forest management concept with minimal room for commercial timber harvesting (referred to as “conservation management”), it was kept in consideration that active conservation interventions could be adopted and introduced even in forest management practices primarily aiming for timber production.

József Vers, regional nature conservation manager, presented the conservation interventions at the Bakonyszűcs project site in the Balaton Uplands National Park and shared the experience of the seven-year-long LIFE project. The project has involved small-scale interventions to improve forest structure, aiming to break up homogeneous forest stands, thereby giving space for regeneration and developing multi-aged stands. This was achieved through high stump logging that creates standing and fallen deadwood, and bark ringing—removing bark and cambium from individual trees. These interventions primarily affected Turkey oaks, which have the highest presence in the forest composition. The intensity of interventions depended mainly on the homogeneity of the stand and was about 10%.

To ensure the survival of tree seedlings, 25 m diameter and 1-meter high fences were installed to reduce the impact of wildlife. Four years after the installation of the fences, the regeneration layer has visibly strengthened and the forest renewal began. Additionally, wild apple, pear, rowan, lime, and maple were planted. These species were entirely missing from the site or were present in a low proportion. The presence of these mixed-species not only increases the diversity of the forest’s tree species but also boosts its habitat offerings and resilience.

The Bakonyszűcs project site also includes a black locust area. The structural transformation of this area is also a project goal. Unlike the typical practice of species replacement, the transformation here is implemented using a method with varying intensity over time and space, based on patches of natural regeneration of native species. The support of naturally occurring regeneration involves injecting glyphosate into the overlying black locust stands which affects 20% of the total black locust population. Future stand diversity will be increased with sowing Turkey oak and downy oak acorns, placing them in jay trays, and planting mixed species seedlings. We hope to see these solutions more frequently in everyday forest management practices.

We could see a good example of this in the visit to the next site, the Táborkert forest which is managed in continuous cover forest management methods, by the Bakonybéli Forestry of Bakonyerdő State Forestry Enterprise. Here the goal of the management of middle-aged beech forest is to form a multi-level, mixed species forest, where the preservation and development of forest habitats, such as standing and lying deadwood, biotope tress, and aquatic habitats also play a key role.

The program of the first day was ended with the presentations, and a discussion on Natura 2000 management plans and subsidies.

During the second day’s field program, participants gained insight into what compromises and consensuses lead to more effective implementation of conservation principles in forest management. Preserving standing and fallen deadwood during timber harvesting, identifying and protecting habitat trees, and practically applying small-scale conservation areas and time periods based on a database of the area’s natural values were among the best examples.

Beyond the legal and institutional framework, the human factor, such as the open and predictable collaboration of local professionals, is of outstanding importance. Attendees, foresters from Nyírség to Zala, were unanimous on this. The forest manager Bakonyerdő Zrt. – as the host of the event – and the Balaton Uplands National Park Directorate – the conservation manager of the forests – set a good example in building partnerships. Without such cooperation, it would hardly be possible to effectively protect natural values in this highly touristic region. As a result of their combined efforts, visitors of the Koloska Valley or the Tihany Peninsula can still explore forests composed of native species and rich wildlife.

Photos were made by Mónika Gergál-Gombási