Projects and research

Online course on non-native trees - Education

The team of the ALPTREES project, which is co-financed by the European Union via the Interreg Alpine Space Programme, produced a free online course to give everyone the opportunity to deepen his or her knowledge about the sustainable use and management of non-native trees in the Alpine Space.

Unit for Forest Biodiversity

High Five - Project

Measures for the conservation of native tree species of the Ethiopian Highlands: Linking genetic conservation to re-establishment of species diverse forests.

Department for Forest Biodiversity & Nature Conservation

Protection Forests in the Alpine Region – Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change - Project MOSAIC

Climate change is undeniably contributing to the increase in weather- and climate-related natural disasters, affecting Alpine communities. Natural disasters are often the result of compound events, which are combinations of multiple climate- and/or weather-related hazards that contribute to societal or environmental risks.

Unit for Snow & Avalanches

A Novel EU Project Provides Forest Information for Europe’s Roadmap Towards Climate Neutrality - Project

A better monitoring of Europe’s forest will help countries mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Department for Forest Inventory

NatWALD – Identification, selection, establishment & monitoring of new natural forest reserves - Project NatWALD

Natural forest reserves (NFR) have gained political and social importance due to current challenges related to climate change and the biodiversity crisis. The aim of the NatWALD project is to expand the existing network by setting up 15 new NFRs (approx. 500 ha) with a contract period of 20 years.

Unit for Natural Forest Reserves

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

Scent detection dogs for the Asian longhorn beetle - Training course

Global trade and worldwide shipping of wood and wood packaging material lead to an increase in Asian longhorn beetle outbreaks in Europe. Dogs are trained at the BFW in Vienna to detect Anoplophora.

Department for Forest Protection

Video: Impact of Climate Change in Africa - Multimedia

Burkina Faso, situated in the west of Africa, experiences a tropical climate depending on its geographical location. The rainy season lasts for almost two to five months and is a major driver of its floristic and vegetational characteristics of the region. The typical park landscapes i.e. cultivated landscapes created for agroforestry practices are exposed to […]

Department for Forest Biodiversity & Nature Conservation

Twinning Serbia - Improvement of forest management in Serbia as a contribution to climate change adaptation and mitigation

In 2013 the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between the EU and the Republic of Serbia entered into force. Article 1 Section 2 (d) of the SAA states that the aim of the Association established is "to support the efforts of Serbia to develop its economic and international cooperation, including through the approximation of its legislation to that of the Community".

Unit for Forest Society & International Relations

Resilient Riparian Forests in the Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere Reserve - Biosphere reserve

Within the REFOCuS project a holistic strategy for both managed and protected forests will be developed, comprising appropriate silvicultural methods and conservation strategies.

Unit for Silviculture

Measuring Greenhouse Gases in Singapur - Inventory

With the SINSOIL project, the first baseline data on soil GHG emissions (CO2, N2O and CH4) from a natural forest land and an urban parkland in Singapur under commonly used management practices (grass vegetation, N fixing plants and compost application) over a 1 year period will be collected. Studies on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in […]

Department for Forest Ecology & Soil

„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 […]