Anyone looking after forests takes a long view. Trees grow slowly, have to withstand all kinds of weather and need at least 60 years until they are harvested. Plant trees and see how they develop in their location: “The learning process can last longer than a human lifetime,” says Bernd Igler, Production Manager at THE LIECO COMPANY in Kalwang. It depends on the soil, the climatic conditions and the young tree itself. One of the biggest concerns for forest owners is the long dry spells, extreme weather events and pest infestations that have become more frequent and longer-lasting in recent decades as a consequence of climate change. It cannot be denied that they damage the forest; there have been huge calamities in recent years.

“From today’s perspective,
tree species change is our
approach”

Production Manager THE LIECO COMPANY

What can be done? “From today’s perspective, tree species change is our approach,” says Igler firmly. The goal is to have forests that cope better with the rising temperatures. There are several factors to be taken into account with these new considerations.

It is important to look both back and toward the future. Anyone keen to understand forests must get to grips not only with the forest ecosystem but also unavoidably with its history, in order to grasp what led to the greatest forest disasters. Take Germany as an example. The local spruce pure stands, which have been so badly affected, were predominantly planted there after the Second World War. Beech trees originally grew in large areas of central and western Germany. However, over the course of the reparation payments and reconstruction, more timber was felled than could regrow. At that time, spruce presented itself as the universal tree species for reforestation. Why? Spruce grow quickly, give good timber and are easy to propagate. “No one could have known at the time that the climate was going to change,” remarks Igler.

Jule Nauen, Site Manager of Lürssen Nurseries, which belongs to THE LIECO COMPANY, confirms: “Spruce has disappeared from the whole region due to drought.” Beech trees were originally native to the region, but unfortunately they do not cope well with a shortage of water either. “At the moment, everyone wants to know what they should plant,” she reports. Forestry is a regionally informed activity. The conditions in Alpine forests are different than those in mid-elevation areas of Germany. THE LIECO COMPANY has developed new strategies and delivers high-quality forest seedlings to forest owners in diverse regions. The trend is for mixed forests as they are generally more stable. “Without afforestation, it is mostly the tree species that used to be stand-forming there that colonize in nature,” notes Igler. From a forestry perspective, this also spreads the risk of disaster; not all tree species are equally affected by environmental influences.

And, in fact, these forest changes are already underway. The once dominant spruce are now mixed with larches and silver firs, common beeches and sycamores in Alpine regions; at higher altitudes, the proportion of larches increases. “However, I’d like to stick up for spruce. They will always account for a large share of the tree species mix in Alpine regions,” stresses Igler. From a forestry perspective, spruce remain extremely productive trees. They grow quickly, give good timber and are unproblematic to manage — even when it comes to storing the seeds in THE LIECO COMPANY’s seed banks.

However, THE LIECO COMPANY also has good solutions for forests in low-lying areas such as central and northern Germany, and in Lürssen it has an important partner in the Liechtenstein Group. In addition to oaks and beeches, Douglas firs, various pine species and many other tree species including Atlas cedars are also planted in forests. “There is no alternative,” states Igler. His colleague Jule Nauen takes a similar tack for her region in western Germany: “We think that the mix of different heat-resistant tree species is the best solution from today’s point of view.” In concrete terms, she names Turkish hazel, Atlas and Lebanon cedar, along with various oak species or sweet chestnuts, remarking that “having a variety spreads the risks.”

“TREES’ GENETICS
PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE
IN AFFORESTATION”

Managing Director and Sales Manager THE LIECO COMPANY

Yet another factor has to be taken into account. “Trees’ genetics also play an important role in afforestation,” says Christoph Hartleitner, Managing Director at THE LIECO COMPANY. According to Lieco’s standards, high-quality seed means that trees are harvested with optimal phenotypical characteristics such as branch position, bark and timber quality. The location itself also plays a role. Factors such as altitude, soil composition and water availability are encoded in trees’ genes. “A tree seed from low altitudes will struggle in high mountain regions,” says Hartleitner. This is also known, among other things, from afforestation measures during Austrian Empress Maria Theresa’s lifetime, when Alpine regions were afforested with seeds from the Czech Republic and the Balkans. “300 years later, we are still seeing that this wasn’t a good idea.”

THE LIECO COMPANY offers a broad array of areas of origin in its seed bank, so that forest owners receive forest seedlings perfectly suited to their local conditions. “We have taken up the cause of thinking about origin,” states Hartleitner. This means that anyone who purchases young forestry plants from THE LIECO COMPANY not only receives first-class quality but also seedlings whose seeds come from regions with a comparable climate. This is the basis for a healthy, resilient forest. As a follow-up, retained samples are taken from every seeding.

This change in strategy is also scientifically supported. Having studied forestry, Jule Nauen is interested in a study on sessile oaks that are currently being planted to afforest damaged areas in the region. However, other oak species may also be promising, as they have demonstrated their ability to adapt to new conditions to a certain extent. At Lürssen, they are also experimenting with tree species from southern areas of origin, in other words from generally arid regions. “We’ll see what works and what doesn’t over the coming years,” she says. Only one thing is certain: “Forests in central Germany will no longer be coniferous-heavy.”

A new location for the Liechtenstein Group is Nová Role in the Czech Republic. In this way, THE LIECO COMPANY is covering large climatic regions in Europe when it comes to genetics and provenance. Seed banks for deciduous trees represent a challenge. “Storing acorns and beechnuts is a great deal more difficult than storing conifer seeds. Above all, the seed must be used within two years,” explains Hartleitner. In Germany’s Westerwald, the acorns are sown immediately. If there is no oak seeding in a given year, they simply wait until the next year’s harvest, says Nauen. Forestry is an unhurried business: anyone engaged in active forestry thinks generations ahead.