Strengthening social dialog to promote the acceptance of reforestation measures in the context of sustainable forest management (DIA-WALD)

Forest owners are currently facing major challenges, as climate change and the associated weather extremes are having a major impact on the survival and growth of tree species. Extreme weather events are occurring with greater frequency and intensity, causing more frequent and larger areas of disturbance in previously closed forests. At the same time, societal demands are more diverse and attention has increased towards economically or ecologically oriented measures in the forest. Today's forest stakeholders must not only ensure the capabilities of the forest for future generations, but also communicate their actions and measures transparently and effectively to the public.

One means of achieving this can be joint actions by forestry and non-forestry stakeholders. These campaigns offer various social groups the opportunity to gain a deeper insight into the work of the responsible stakeholders and to actively participate in the shaping of forests and disturbed areas. In return, the forestry stakeholders have a way of clearing up misunderstandings, passing on specialist knowledge and drawing attention to specific problems.

In this context, the DIA-WALD project investigates measures for the reforestation of disturbed areas of different forest ownership forms in which participation opportunities exist or have existed for various non-forestry interest groups. The focus here is on both current treatment strategies and social dialog on the subject of reforestation. The core objectives of the project are

• The analysis of disturbed forest areas in selected forest regions with a view to
  • the potential of important ecological, economic and silvicultural parameters
  • the social perception and resulting expectations regarding the further development of disturbed forest areas;
• Typologization of the possibilities of social participation with regard to forest reforestation measures;
• Development of suitable forest reforestation measures with the participation of non-forestry target groups with a focus on
  • Strengthening acceptance on the part of non-forestry target groups and critics in particular
  • Promotion of learning effects through optimization of knowledge transfer
  • Consideration of individual characteristics of non-forestry stakeholders (attitude, values, motivation to participate, etc.)

DIA-WALD is a joint project of the Chair of Forest Policy and Forest Resource Economics ( https://tu-dresden.de/bu/umwelt/forst/dia-wald ) and the Chair of Silviculture at TU Dresden. The Chair of Silviculture focuses on the systematic determination of parameters of the various disturbed areas and the recording of the evaluation approaches and the planning requirements of the forestry stakeholders in relation to the disturbed areas. In close coordination with the Chair of Forest Policy and Forest Resource Economics, concrete actions of the forest enterprises with public participation will also be accompanied in the course of the project. The quality of the specialist knowledge imparted and the way in which this can be implemented by the participants will be examined. The aim is to improve communication processes and planning for forestry practice, particularly with regard to critical positions towards forestry stakeholders and the measures they choose.