Challenges & experiences in adapting forest management to a changing climate – a practitioner’s view

The research addresses a critical gap in understanding how forest managers, enterprise heads, and private owners—the people on the ground—are actually responding to the increasing frequency and intensity of climate-related disturbances like droughts, wildfires, storms, and pest outbreaks (e.g., bark beetle) across Europe.

The core methodology involved an extensive online survey distributed across 19 European countries. The findings highlight that 84% of respondents reported that their forest enterprise was impacted by climate change. In response, 89% of practitioners are implementing CCA measures.

The most dominant strategy across all surveyed biogeographical regions is Change in tree species selection/composition (81% of respondents). Other key measures include various forms of Regeneration (38%) and adjusting Harvesting and thinning methods (31%). The study also explicitly investigates the relationship between CCA and integrative forest management, noting that while some CCA actions, like promoting tree species diversity, offer clear synergies with biodiversity conservation, practitioners must navigate potential conflicts and trade-offs.

For the minority of enterprises not implementing CCA, the main obstacles reported were the belief that it was unnecessary (52%)—often assuming nature can adapt itself—or a lack of financial capacity, resources, and knowledge (33%), which are essential findings for informing policymakers.