Action Programme “Protective Forests”

Protective forests in Austria are true all-rounders. As a “green”, cost-effective and sustainable protective infrastructure against avalanches, rockfall and mudflow, they are essential for the permanent settlement of many parts of Austria. In addition, they protect against soil erosion, safeguard the quality of our water and reduce the risk of flooding. Maintaining and improving the protective function of forests represents a significant in-vestment in the habitability and development of Austria's regions and mountain areas. Protective forests account for 42 percent of the total forested area in Austria. Their special function often requires a specific type of management and tending.

However, protective forests also face great challenges. Climate change and the associated dry periods, storms, bark beetle calamities and heavy rain endanger the stability of the areas. For many forest owners, tending protective forests is not economically viable, the strong impact of game in certain regions and changes in leisure-time behaviour in protective forests endanger regrowing trees. In many places in Austria, this has led to a lack of regeneration and thus to over-mature stands–there is an urgent need for action in al-most half of the protective forest areas–and this continues to require strong responses!

In 2019, the Federal Government launched the Protective Forest Action Programme to ensure that forests in Austria continue to provide the best possible protection against natural hazards and the risks that arise from them. A lot has happened since then–and the present evaluation report is to make these changes visible.

For me, the result of this evaluation shows that although more has probably been achieved for the protective forest in the last five years than in the previous 50 years, we must consistently continue on the path we have taken. This means that the Protective Forest Action Programme, with additional priorities and targeted actions, will play an important role in Austria’s forest policy even after 2024.

Herausgeber:

Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management

Ausgabejahr:

2025

Ausgabeort:

Vienna

Format:

Download

Kategorie:

Wald allgemein

Seitenanzahl:

32