Gerhard Hohenwarter
in an interview

The time of
small steps
is over

Climate expert Gerhard Hohenwarter works as a meteorologist at ZAMG in customer service for Carinthia and is very familiar with the challenges that climate change poses for forests and therefore the timber industry in the region. He says: “The time for small steps is over. In future, each and every individual will have to pull their own weight to radically reduce their own consumption.” Whether energy, products, resources or food – doing without is the order of the day.

Forests in particular are a meaningful indicator of the state of our climate:

“Humans have promoted monoculture in recent decades. As a fast-growing and economically profitable tree, spruce now dominates our woodlands. The problem: the shallow-rooted tree can only withstand challenges such as drought, storms or heat with difficulty. This has been demonstrated dramatically by extreme weather situations in recent years.” Added to this are rainfall quantities that are often unevenly distributed in winter and heavy rainfall in summer, which can no longer be drained by the dried-out soil. The problem of drought and dwindling groundwater reservoirs can therefore become a massive problem. “If we manage to establish more mixed cultures again in the future and also enable a mix of age structures by avoiding clearcutting, the expected diversity can strengthen the entire system in the long term,” says Hohenwarter. The only thing is: if you plant a tree today, you can only hope that it will still feel at home at the site in 30, 40 or 50 years’ time – or until then.

Nevertheless, the expert is certain: "Wood will not become scarce in our latitudes any time soon."

Looking ahead over the next ten years, no major changes to the current development are to be expected. Reforestation is going well and there is still more wood available than is actually needed. To keep it that way, however, it is essential to think about tomorrow today. One example: even if the tree line is de facto rising, it is not only for climatic reasons. The tree line was artificially created in the first place through the cultivation of the natural landscape as a tree-free pasture area as a result of alpine farming. “In any case, our mountain landscape offers little potential for the spread of trees to higher altitudes due to its topography,” says Hohenwarter. On the other hand, he sees a problem in the increase in prolonged weather conditions: “Periods of heat, storms or rain will affect us more and more persistently and thus have a massive impact. Snow breakage is also an issue.”

Another danger...

... Hohenwarter sees the growing pest infestation in the forests as a major challenge.

As temperatures rise, the limit at which the bark beetle only completes one replication cycle per year also moves to higher altitudes. “The current weather developments are opening the floodgates to bark beetle infestation. Due to the prevailing monocultures, the beetles are increasingly attacking healthy trees as well as dead wood. This is a huge problem,” says Hohenwarter. Nevertheless, the climatologist and mountain enthusiast is optimistic about the future: “It’s not too late. It is in our hands to do something about climate change. But time is pressing and words must now finally be followed by action at all levels.”

ZAMG

Founded in 1851, the "Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics" is Austria's state meteorological and geophysical service.

Due to its address in Vienna, it is also known as the “Hohe Warte”. In addition to collecting, processing and recording the results of field-related investigations and numerous other services, ZAMG also offers customised support for construction projects.