Towards a climate neutral EU:
efficient allocation of EU funds

Narrative

The LIFE Adapt Brdy project focuses on adapting forest stands in the Brdy Highland in Czechia to climate change and increasing their resilience to biotic and abiotic factors. The changing climate, particularly prolonged drought and bark beetle infestations, pose significant threats to the health and stability of forest stands in the area. The project aims to implement close-to-nature management principles, including small-scale clearcutting, shelterbelt, and selection management, to achieve a structural balance and enhance the ability of forests to withstand climate change impacts. The project also seeks to replicate good practices in other sites in Central Europe, contribute to the EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change and the EU Forest Strategy for 2030, and raise public awareness of the impact of climate change on forests.

Financial data

Total Eligible Budget: €4,977,415, EU Contribution: €2,986,447, EU Funding Percentage: 60%

Recommendations

• Implement and monitor the close-to-nature management approach in the Brdy Highland to increase the resilience of forest stands to climate change and reduce vulnerability.

• Establish and manage demonstration plots to showcase selection management principles on a significant area of 500 hectares.

• Promote natural forest regeneration and aim for at least four times the current area of 50 hectares per year, reaching a minimum of 200 hectares of natural regeneration annually.

• Conduct intensive hunting to reduce damage to trees caused by game, aiming to decrease the current damage rate of 36% to 20%.

• Share good practices and replicate project outputs in the Central European region, particularly in forest institutions in Czechia and other countries with similar climatic conditions.

• Provide training in close-to-nature management principles to at least 500 foresters from Central Europe, including Czechia, Slovakia, and Poland.

• Engage in public awareness activities to highlight the impact of climate change on forests and communicate available solutions.

Information sources

Other info

https://www.vls.cz/cs/nase-cinnosti/life-adapt-brdy