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Sustainable Forestry

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Head: Dr. Janine Schweier

The Research Group focuses on the provision of ecosystem services and the efficient use of biomass as a natural resource. Management solutions for the provision of ecosystem services are investigated, including sustainable forestry under the environmental and economic challenges of climate change. Further, to address the increasing demand for sustainable energy sources, the potential of wood and other biomass resources for energy is investigated.

Main research questions:

Ecosystem services: What management solutions can be designed to ensure in the long-term multiple, balanced and sustainable provision of biodiversity and forest ecosystem services (e.g. protective functions of mountain forests), including the supply of woody biomass?
Sustainable Forest Operations: What is the impact of forest operations on the various forest ecosystem services and how can operations be carried out in a safer, environmental-friendly and economically sustainable way to contribute to a bio-economy?
Forest economy in a changing environment: How to ensure rewarding conditions for forest enterprises and a viable resource market?
Bioenergy: What is the energetic potential of forest wood and other (woody and non-woody) biomass resources in Switzerland and what is the role of bioenergy in a climate-changing world and in a circular economy?
Forest digitalization: How can different sources of unstructured data (sensor based data, remote sensing data, machine data, etc.) be merged and used to develop models that support the future provision of ecosystem services as well as responsiveness in case of extreme events?

FURTHER INFORMATION

Projects

MainWood

Options for the use of wood in construction will be investigated, developed and tested as a contribution to a functioning circular economy and the Swiss bioeconomy. The aim is to identify the most important leverage points in the value chain to increase the use of wood in construction and to develop ecologically optimal scenarios for the use of wood in Switzerland.

Digiforest

The mission of DIGIFOREST is to develop the technology needed to achieve sustainable digital forestry. It includes fundamental science for mobile robotic navigation (multi-sensor motion tracking, 3D mission planning etc.) and data-driven semantic mapping.

MountEx

The MountEx project, part of the WSL research program Extremes, aims to develop guidance and tools for managing spruce-dominated mountain forests under the influence of previously unthinkable, extreme disturbances.

HeProMo (2021-2024)

With the help of the timber harvesting productivity models (HeProMo), the productivity and costs for different timber logging processes can be pre-calculated on the basis of some important input variables.

ONEforest

ONEforest develops a multi-criteria planning system for strategic decision makers from forestry, politics and industry and provides information regarding potential social, ecologic and ecologic and economic impacts of alternative forest management options in a medium to long-term perspective.

Virtual Forest

In this project, realistic digital twins of existing forests are created. By connecting these with forest growth simulators, long-term effects of different forest management strategies and climate scenarios can be explored visually.

SWEET-EDGE

The aim of SWEET-EDGE (2021-2027) is to investigate and demonstrate pathways to promote decentralized renewable energy generation in Switzerland. In this context, we will investigate the availability and mobilization of woody and non-woody biomass as a central resource in the midlands and the Alps.

New basics for the forest management planning of staged forests

Based on forest roads, forest structures and ecosystem services to be provided, this project will develop new basics for the separation of management and operation units as a planning basis for mountain and permanent forests.

DigiSeil

The project aims to establish the digital cable road design. Among others, a guideline for digital cable road design and calculation as well as further training documents will be produced.

Impacts of climate change induced extreme windthrow events on forest management and economy of European forest enterprises (ExWiFE)

An increase of extreme environmental disturbances is expected, which is for different reasons a big challenge for forest stakeholders on the operating-, strategic-, financial- and environmental level. Using diverse methods, we aim to describe the complexity of the current problem.

Nutrient Sustainability in Swiss Wood Extraction

The project aims to determine the nutrient balance of various Swiss sites by means of comprehensive soil analyses and to develop nutrient balances aiming to maintain and promote soil fertility and biodiversity.

Bioenergy and circular economy: the biogas plant as a hub

In this transdisciplinary study, the bioenergy system is assessed from the perspective of the circular economy. The focus is on wet biomass, whereby the current cycle of the most important elements is investigated qualitatively and quantitatively. The anaerobic digestion serves as the central hub.

Strategies and concepts for tapping the sustainable, energetic potential of manure in Switzerland

The project "NETZ" develops strategies and concepts for tapping the sustainable, energetic potential of substrates of agricultural origin, in particular farmyard manure in Switzerland.

Biomass transport for energy in Switzerland

The aim of this project is to explore the transport chains of biomass for energy in Switzerland and assess their economic and ecological impacts. Costs, energy inputs, and CO2 balances are calculated for the major paths travelled by forest wood and manure.

Optimized forest planning

An optimization model will be developed in the frame of this project to determine the optimal segregation of management strategies that can best fulfill the diverse services.

Optimised cable line planning

The transport of timber with cable yarders is of great importance in the Swiss forestry. Planning a cable line is a complex and demanding task. Together with selected forest contractors and forest enterprises, it is evaluated how scientific findings in cable mechanics, developments in remote sensing and mathematical optimization algorithms can contribute to more efficient cable road planning.

JuWaPfl - IT-basierte Modelle für Produktivität und Kosten von Bestandesbegründung und Jungwaldpflege

Modelle zur Schätzung von Leistung und Kosten für Arbeiten der Bestandesbegründung und der Jungwaldpflege

Power Density Switzerland

"Power Density" describes the relationship between energy carrier, area and time. Renewable energies and particularly biomass require much larger area to produce energy compared to fossil fuels. This study helps identify where and to what extent which type of bioenergy could be used.

Ecosystem services in forests

We are studying the impacts of forest management on a variety of forest services. Using two models and a range of indicators we are simulating forest development and services with a variety of management and climate scenarios.

EnviDat: the Environmental Data Portal

EnviDat is the WSL data portal providing unified and managed access to environmental monitoring and research data. Through the sharing of unique and high-value data sets worldwide, EnviDat fosters research and contributes to advancing environmental science.

Structure and management of secondary spruce forests

On the basis of a field experiment started in 2005 where various silvicultural interventions are being tested, this project examines how pure secondary spruce forests can be converted into mixed mountain forests.

Indikatoren zur Prognose der Ökosystemleistungen des Schweizer Waldes mit LFI-Daten

Mit diesem Projekt werden Methoden entwickelt um Ökosystemleistungen des schweizer Waldes auf regionaler und nationaler Ebene abzuschätzen. Dazu berechnen wir eine Reihe von bekannten Indikatoren zur Waldnutzung, Biodiversität, Schutzleistung und CO2-Speicherung aufgrund von im schweizerischen Lande

Multi-Criteria Decision Support System

Multifunctional forest management today presents a major challenge for forest enterprises. The diverse demanded goods and services of the forest lead to a complicated forest planning and decision making. Appropriate concepts and tools are required to support this.

Biomass potentials Switzerland

SCCER-BIOSWEET aims to increase the energetic use of biomass in Switzerland. WSL determines resource potentials, examines availabilities and future developments of different biomass categories.

Forest inventory on enterprise level

With a smart combination of data collected with terrestrial methods and remote sensing forest inventories shall become more efficient and practice oriented to serve the needs of a multifunctional forest management.

Fahrversuch in Rückegassen mit halber Ladung

In einem Befahrungsexperiment mit einem Forwarder im Forstbetrieb Wagenrain in Bremgarten AG wurde untersucht, wie sich das Befahren bestehender Rückegassen mit voller und mit halber Zuladung auf die Tiefenwirkung der Verdichtung und auf die Spurbildung auswirken.

Agent-based Modelling

Agent-based modelling enables to model all actors on the wood market individually. Simulating the model then provides insights into the market processes. With the simulation of various scenarios, the effects of structural and institutional changes on the wood market should be explored. The project is part of the WSL-project “An economic analysis of Swiss wood markets”, which is connected to the NRP 66 program “resource wood”.

An Economic Analysis of Swiss Wood Markets

In this project, researchers analyse the workings of the Swiss wood markets on the basis of case studies and explain them with the help of economic theories. The results will be used to develop an agent-based model. This should make it possible to develop scenarios for future wood availability and present options for influencing it through economic instruments.

Sortimentsimulator SorSim

SorSim ist ein Computer-basiertes Modell, um einzelne Bäume oder ganze Bestände in Sortimente einzuteilen. Die Schaftformen werden modelliert, Rinde und Zumasse werden abgezogen und aufgrund von Sortimentsvorgaben in die entsprechenden Klassen eingeteilt.

Update HeProMo

The productivity models "HeProMo", realized in 2003, are partially going to be outdated and several models for new modern harvesting processes are missing yet. The aims of the project are to renew some of the existing models based on new data sets and to create new models for current harvesting processes, such as logging and chipping of energy wood, transport of chips and logging of full trees by cable-crane.

Exotic tree species

Exotic tree species, which are adapted to a warmer and dryer climate, could contribute to coping with climate change. Six such species are tested in a long-term field experiment near Mutrux (Canton of Vaud).

Physical soil protection

Soils fulfill various functions. As a consequence of land cultivation and of the emission of harmful substances from various sources, the soil functions are endangered. In the research topic “soil protection” the main threats and their effects on the soil functions and hence on soil fertility are investigated.

Young growth tending

Each year, about 50 Millions CHF are invested in tending interventions in Swiss forestry. In a field experiment of 7.3 ha size, we study how four tending variants affect tree species richness and stem quality in the long term. Particular interest is given to the question how minority species present in mixed stands can be maintained against the highly competitive beech.

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Publications

Thrippleton, T.; Temperli, C.; Krumm, F.; Mey, R.; Zell, J.; Stroheker, S.; Gossner, M.M.; Bebi, P.; Thürig, E.; Schweier, J., 2023: Anwendung eines Entscheidungssystems für die Anpassung an Klimawandel und Störungen im Gebirgswald. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Forstwesen, 174, 2: 85-91. doi: 10.3188/szf.2023.0085

Bowman, G.; Sanginés de Cárcer, P.; Vlaskou Badra, D.; Schweier, J., 2023: Impact des événements météorologiques extrêmes du point de vue des scieries. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Forstwesen, 174, 2: 100-105. doi: 10.3188/szf.2023.0100

Glatthorn, J.; Schweier, J.; Streit, K.; Thees, O.; Hobi, M., 2023: Adaptiver Waldbau – mit Wissen, Vorsicht und Mut. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Forstwesen, 174, 2: 64-69. doi: 10.3188/szf.2023.0064

Janssen, S.; Pretzsch, H.; Bürgi, A.; Ramstein, L.; Bont, L.G., 2023: Improving the accuracy of timber volume and basal area prediction in heterogeneously structured and mixed forests by automated co-registration of forest inventory plots and remote sensing data. Forest Ecology and Management, 532: 120795 (23 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2023.120795

Thrippleton, T.; Temperli, C.; Krumm, F.; Mey, R.; Zell, J.; Stroheker, S.; Gossner, M.M.; Bebi, P.; Thürig, E.; Schweier, J., 2023: Balancing disturbance risk and ecosystem service provisioning in Swiss mountain forests: an increasing challenge under climate change. Regional Environmental Change, 23: 29 (16 pp.). doi: 10.1007/s10113-022-02015-w

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