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Katharina Lapin is the new head of the Department for Forest Biodiversity and Nature Conservation - New Department

The Federal Forest Research Center (BFW) has a new Department for Forest Biodiversity and Nature Conservation starting in 2021, and its head will be the respected scientist Dr. Katharina Lapin as of February 1, 2021.

Department for Forest Biodiversity & Nature Conservation
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PARAmount: Interpretation of an Expert Survey by BFW - Questionnaire

Within the framework of the project PARAmount a Communication and Decision Support Tool (CDT) was developed, as a contribution to the highly emotional discussion about natural hazard management. Basic information was collected by means of an online survey in which respondents were asked to rate the importance of individual parameters for different process types. More […]

Runoff in the mountain region

Code of Practice for the Assessment of Surface Runoff Coefficients - Compendium

The first BFW “Code of Practice for the Assessment of Surface Runoff Coefficients for Alpine Soil/Vegetation Complexes in Torrential Rain” has been published in 2004 (in German language). The Interreg-South East Europe-Project CC-WaterS offered the opportunity to integrate some new findings in experimental runoff research and to release a report in English language in 2011. […]

Unit for Torrent Processes & Hydrology
Man sitting and held a drone in his hand

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for testing torrent and avalanche control measurers - BAUWEKA

Potentials and limitations of utilizing new technologie to study natural hazard protection areas.

Unit for Snow & Avalanches

Exploring ICT solutions for snow and avalanche assessments - Report

The motivation for this exploratory study came from the observed increasing demand for up-to-date information on snow conditions and avalanches in decision-making processes.

Unit for Snow & Avalanches

„Avalanche training courses are the new highrisk sports“ - Conference

A presenter on day 5 of ISSW2018 put forward this bold statement. Day 5 was dedicated to avalanche training and rescue. Many presentations highlighted that self-reflection is required in each and every sphere of snow-related activity, in particular in risky situations. The stability of the snow pack, avalanche forecasting and the role of new media […]

Unit for Snow & Avalanches

Research institutes highlight the importance of forests for the prosperity and competitiveness of Europe - IUFRO Congress

Europe can get much more from its forests, say five European forest research institutes. For this, Europe needs to build innovative industrial systems that can rely on sustainable sourcing from European forests.

Gruppenfoto der Teilnehmenden des Instituts für Naturgefahren an der INAC-Konferenz

First Inter-Alpine Natural Hazards Conference successfully carried out - Conference INAC

The first Inter-Alpine Natural Hazards Conference (INAC) took place in Innsbruck from May 5 to 7, 2025. Over 100 experts from Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Norway and Switzerland participated in the event. They came from the fields of science, industry, infrastructure and technology.

Unit for Snow & Avalanches
Ein Löschhubschrauber fliegt über einem Wald und löscht einen Brand.

Research group investigates the behaviour of forest fires - Project EMERGE

Forest fires have so far been a marginal topic in Austria, but in the future an increase in such events is expected. A group of researchers is currently investigating how the behaviour of fires in forests can be better assessed.

Unit for Remote Sensing
Test area in the Region Wienerwald

Austrian pine fit for climate change? - New test site

Climate projections forecast a rise of the Earth’s average temperature of 2 to 4 degrees Celsius until the year 2100. The prognosis for Austria is an increase of 3.5 degrees Celsius until 2100 (Österreichischer Sachstandsbericht zum Klimawandel, 2014). This will also lead to new challenges in the forestry sector. Sustainable managed forests and the utilization […]

Unit for Forest Growth
Spruce in small container

Forest Genetics: Preserving the Spruce Tree - Climate change

The research initiative “Green Heritage” was launched to improve the production base and stand security for the spruce tree in Austria permanently. For this purpose, the genetic background is investigated for certain properties, in order to develop markers which, in turn, can be used for genetically supported breeding strategies. This research project at BFW is […]

Unit for Ecological Genetics

BFW supporting a harmonized assessment of forest availability for wood supply in Europe - USEWOOD

A new definition on forests available for wood supply has been found! BFW together with partner institutions recently published a paper on this topic.

Unit for Inventory Design & Analysis