Opinion paper Archive

9 Dec 2025

National Forest Inventory in Italy: new perspectives for forest monitoring

Key message  Natural and anthropogenic pressures, combined with frequent extreme events driven by climate change, are altering the dynamics of forest ecosystems. As a result, social needs, forest policies, and forest management require precise and reliable information
30 Jan 2025

Beyond the perception of wind only as a meteorological hazard: importance of mechanobiology for biomass allocation, forest ecology and management

Key message Although global changes are expected to intensify the impact of wind as a hazard, recent studies have emphasized the critical role wind plays in tree growth and development. Wind-induced swaying generates strains that the tree
17 Oct 2024

Potential processes leading to winter reddening of young Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii Mirb. Franco. in Europe

Key message Winter reddening of young Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii Mirb. Franco), triggered by large thermal fluctuations in late winter, is a critical problem for European forestry. A literature review identified certain climatic conditions that are characteristic of
7 Jun 2024

There is a need to better take into account forest soils in the planned soil monitoring law of the European Union

Key message A Soil Monitoring Law to improve soil health across all land uses has been proposed by the European Commission. As forests soils have different chemical and physical properties as well as biogeochemical dynamics compared to
3 Apr 2024

Improving monitoring and management methods is of the utmost importance in countries at risk of invasion by the pinewood nematode

Key message The invasive pine wood nematode is a major threat to pine forests worldwide, causing extensive tree mortality. Although scientific knowledge and control measures are continuously improving, important gaps remain. We argue that some key questions,
8 Feb 2024

Advancing forest inventorying and monitoring

Key message Evolving societal demands and accelerated ecological dynamics due to global change are rapidly altering forest ecosystems and their services. This has prompted the need for advancing forest inventorying and monitoring initatives to expand their scope,
8 Nov 2023

Climate-smart forest management caught between a rock and a hard place

Key message The UNFCCC COP 27 in Sharm El-Sheikh confirmed that climate policies too heavily rely on climate mitigation by forests rather than on de-fossilizing the energy system, to keep global warming within the safe 1.5 °C.
5 Oct 2023

Rolling front landscape breeding

Key message Forest tree breeding must undergo significant revisions to adapt to the evolving challenges posed by climate change. Addressing the shifts in environmental conditions requires a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach that includes theoretical work and practical application.
13 Jul 2022

Potentials and limitations of NFIs and remote sensing in the assessment of harvest rates: a reply to Breidenbach et al.

Key message The timely and accurate monitoring of forest resources is becoming of increasing importance in light of the multi-functionality of these ecosystems and their increasing vulnerability to climate change. Remote sensing observations of tree cover and
20 Apr 2022

The role of wood harvest from sustainably managed forests in the carbon cycle

Key message We investigate the flux balance of managed and protected forests and the effects of using wood. – Flux parameters of CO2 uptake and respiration do not differ between managed and protected forests. – Accounting of