Co-planning timber production and nature conservation
Project overview
More related research
Short summary
How can forestry and nature conservation be planned together? This project investigates where and when different forest management measures should be implemented to conserve biodiversity while maintaining timber production.
When forests are managed, the habitats of many species are altered. Traditional forest management can reduce biodiversity by decreasing tree species diversity, the amount of old-growth forest, and deadwood, while creating large open areas.
The project investigates which forest management measures should be implemented, and where and when they should be applied, to create and maintain sufficient habitat for forest species while ensuring continued timber production.
The first step is to identify habitat models for Swedish species, describing the forest characteristics that meet their habitat requirements. The project begins by analysing existing habitat models and assessing the current availability of suitable habitat across Sweden using remote sensing data.
The next step is to simulate different forest management measures using Heureka, a decision support system used in forest planning to analyse the effects of different management practices. The simulations will also incorporate the effects of climate change to assess how they influence the availability of suitable habitat.
The project will also develop an optimisation tool that allows habitat requirements to be incorporated into forest planning. The aim is to develop forest management plans that support both biodiversity conservation and timber production, in both the short and long term.
The final part of the project will analyse which forest management strategies are most effective for creating and maintaining habitat while taking economic constraints into account. The potential effects of climate change will also be included in these analyses.
Research group
PhD student: Elin Nordin
Main supervisor: Karin Öhman
Assistant supervisors: Johanna Lundström (SLU), Henrik Persson (SLU), Line Djupström (Skogforsk), Maria Nordström (Skogforsk)
Collaborating partner: Skogforsk
Project period: November 2025 – November 2030
This project is part of WIFORCE – the Wallenberg Initiative in Forest Research, funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.