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March 2020 (Baia Mare) – WWF-Romania, Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava, P.S. Pasternak-UkKRIMF, the Forestry Research Institute, and Ecosphera from Ukraine are working together to promote deadwood for increasing forest resilience along the Romanian-Ukrainian border.
 
Deadwood, a critical component in the structure and functioning of the forest
Deadwood (dead standing trees and fallen logs) plays a key role in maintaining forest productivity, natural regeneration, conserving biodiversity and increasing resilience to climate change. Proper deadwood management contributes to the provision of valuable ecosystem services for local communities and the general public. Deadwood stabilises forests, sustains forest productivity, supports natural forest regeneration, stores carbon, provides food and habitat for thousands of specialised species, and ensures the development of mushroom species valuable to the local economy.
 
Deadwood management is a relatively new conservation concept for Romania and Ukraine. Although it has been promoted for nearly two decades, it is still not often well understood in practice. The competent authorities in Romania and Ukraine have always considered deadwood to be an "enemy of the forest," and have endeavoured to systematically remove it. This has led to the disappearance of certain valuable species from forest ecosystems, such as the white-backed woodpecker (Dendrocopos leocotus) that has an important role in combating tree-damaging insects; the unbalancing of the ecosystem; creation of vulnerabilities related to the natural regeneration capacity of forests; depletion of soil nutrients; and weakened ability to resist climate change. Cumulatively, the absence of deadwood has also had a negative economic impact. These failings have eventually led to additional costs for the creation of artificial forests where interventions are necessary in order to ensure socio-ecological balance; including the prevention and combating of pests, improving soil quality and addressing the lack of edible mushroom species (important for the local economy).
 
Cross-border cooperation and research - essential for maintaining healthy forest ecosystems
The deadwood myth (something to be removed from forests as a necessary part of "correct" forest management because it was supposed to be a vector of diseases in the ecosystem) must be demolished. Dead standing trees and fallen logs are essential for the maintenance of healthy forest ecosystems and the ecosystem services they provide.
 
The project will develop a cross-border network of researchers and experts in Maramures and Suceava (Romania), and Ivano Frankivsk and Zakarpattia (Ukraine) to ensure long-term cooperation in the field of responsible forest management. This network will conduct scientific forest research to support deadwood as a key element in maintaining, or even increasing biodiversity. Deadwood also helps ensure the productivity of forests by providing “food for wood,” nutrients and energy for the forest ecosystem.
 
The project (January 2020 - June 2021) is funded by the European Community through the European Neighborhood Instrument, Joint Operational Programme Romania-Ukraine 2014-2020.
 
For more information:
Monia Martini
Project Manager,
WWF-Romania
mmartini@wwf.ro
Tel: +40 7 2020 4840
 
Miradona Krizbai
Communication Specialist,
WWF-Romania
mkrizbai@wwf.ro
Tel: +40 736 630 705
 
Background
A New Deal for Nature and People is urgently needed. We have received warning after warning highlighting a crisis of accelerating nature loss. Science has never been clearer on the impact of human activities on nature and the consequences we will be facing. This is why all of us, local communities, business leaders, civil society organisations, the financial sector, governments and Heads of State must pledge to achieve:

• ZERO loss of natural habitats;
• HALVE the ecological footprint of production and consumption; and
• ZERO human-induced extinction by 2030.

The European Commission, in consultation with Member States, Western Balkan and European Neighbourhood countries, to develop an ambitious forest ecosystem restoration plan by 2021, and to allocate adequate resources for its complete implementation by 2030. Efforts should aim to enhance forest resilience to climate change; including nature-based solutions and accepting deadwood as a natural and necessary element of a forest ecosystem. Such a move which would also represent an integral element in boosting the EU’s efforts to achieve its climate ambitions. Simultaneously, actions should also be taken to restore the EU´s priority forest habitats and increase the capacity of forests to sequester and store carbon. This can be achieved by promoting the natural regeneration of forests involving a diversity of native European tree species best adapted to the current and future climate of the region. Therefore, we call for the ecological reconstruction of 10% of all forests in the CEE Region (2.4 mil. ha.) and for the afforestation of an additional 2.4 million hectares of degraded land in CEE using native species and local provenances. Furthermore, a network of ecosystems covering 10% of the region’s forests should be defined in which all forms of commercial timber-harvesting is excluded. This New Forest Vision must be in place by 2022, and subsequently lead to strategies and actions that can be implemented by 2030.