About us
Our impact
Engaged projects
Beyond its direct achievements, the Integrate Network has played a significant role in supporting innovation, collaboration, and knowledge transfer across a wide range of European forest and biodiversity projects. Through its extensive Marteloscope network and the I+ software, Integrate has provided valuable tools, methodologies, and training resources that have been adopted and further developed by numerous initiatives. These projects have used the network to test new management approaches, improve stakeholder engagement, enhance forest resilience, and promote the integration of biodiversity conservation into practical forest management. As a result, the legacy of Integrate continues to extend far beyond the original project, contributing to a growing community of practice across Europe. Here are some of the projects we have collaborated with:
LifeSpan
Saproxylic Habitat Network: planning and management for European forests (EU Life+ project; ongoing).
The project aims to demonstrate an innovative and economically sustainable forest planning and management approach to conserve biodiversity and increase structural heterogeneity in productive forests of the Natura 2000 network, applicable in other productive forests as well, through the implementation of specially designed management plans. Education, training and life-long learning are an essential part of Life Span. For also three demonstration sites (marteloscopes) were established by EFI, two in Cansiglio Forest in Italy and one in the Würzburg University Forest near Sailershausen, Germany. Using the Integrate tablet-based software virtual developed by EFI, silvicultural interventions can be performed in these marteloscopes. Intervention results are immediately displayed and thus allow discussion on how different approaches may affect biodiversity, economic return or dead wood amounts in the forest stand.
OptFORESTS
Harnessing forest genetic resources for increasing options in the face of environmental and societal challenges (EU Horizon Europe project; ongoing).
EFI is involved in the task on selective thinning trade-offs on genetic diversity and adaptive capacity. In this context a ‘genetics’ module for the I+ Trainer software is being developed building on key input parameters obtained from experts in forest genetic research. It will be tested and applied in selected, existing Integrate Network marteloscope sites.
Multipliers
Multiplayers’ partnerships to ensure meaningful engagement with science and research (EU H2020 project; ongoing).
The MULTIPLIERS project is establishing novel Open Science Communities (OSCs), expanding opportunities for science learning in collaboration with schools, universities, informal education providers, museums, local associations, industry, civil society, policymakers and media across six European countries. Topics addressed including besides vaccination, antimicrobial resistance, clean water and sanitation, biodiversity and agriculture and air pollution as nature use vs. forest protection and biodiversity and ecosystem services. EFI is active in the two latter and uses marteloscopes in Slovenia, Germany and Sweden as outdoor forest classrooms for educating school students and encourages them to become multipliers communicating their gained knowledge.
Transformit
Transforming Forest Management for multiple ecosystem services and nature conservation via the Integrative approach (EU Horizon Europe project; ongoing).
The project aims to demonstrate and improve the effectiveness of IFM to combine productive forestry and biodiversity conservation by integrating existing practical and scientific knowledge, and to stipulate collaboration and mutual learning amongst science, policy, and practice in Europe and internationally. As a coordination and support action, TRANSFORMIT will lay the basis for larger scale implementation of IFM through proactive engagement with well-established networks, such as the Integrate Network for which EFI acts as secretariat.
Martelkom
Marteloscopes as a research and communication tool for integrative forest management in Germany (Fachagentur für Nachwchsende Rohstoffe – FNR – financially supported through the German Ministry for Food and Agriculture – BMEL; ongong).
Martelkom is a joint research project with the aim of bringing together different societal needs for forests and sustainable forest management and supporting communication. Using marteloscopes, the project offers a space for discussions, leaning and encountering different perspectives. Especially citizens are invited to experience forestry decisions in the forest for themselves, to help shape them and to discuss them with foresters and owners. EFI and the Forest Research Institute Baden-Württemberg implement this study in different regions of Germany. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) via the Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR).
Holisoils
Holistic management practices, modelling & monitoring for European forest soils (EU H2020 project, ongoing).
HoliSoils develops a harmonised soil monitoring framework and identifies and tests soil management practices aiming to mitigate climate change and sustain provision of various ecosystem services essential for human livelihoods and wellbeing. It incorporates novel methodologies and expert knowledge on analytical techniques, data sharing, soil properties and biodiversity, and processes with model development,to order to develop tools for soil monitoring, refine greenhouse gas assessments of the LULUCF sector, enhance efficiency of mitigation actions, and improve numerical forecasting of soil-based mitigation, adaptation, and ecosystem services. In the frame stakeholder interactions and knowledge transfer marteloscopes find use and application.
Arbeitsgemeinschaft Naturgemäße Waldwirtschaft
Fachagentur für Nachwchsende Rohstoffe – FNR; financially supported through the German Ministry for Food and Agriculture – BMEL; completed.
Main objective of responsible forest management is to reduce the risk of forest loss over large areas while at the same time safeguarding yield potential. To investigate the economic and ecological sustainability of applying close to nature forest management, the project “Dauerwald” set up permanent observation plots and marteloscopes in selected forest enterprises in different regions of Germany as part of a larger European network.
Integrate Finland
Decision-making support for forest owners in a changing operating environment (EU Regional development Fund; completed).
The main goal of the project was to develop the skills of forest owners in North Karelia and to support the decision-making capabilities of forest owners by developing a learning and training framework to support decision-making related to forest use. In this context (1) educational forests were established in North Karelia to train forest owners in forest management, taking into account the multifunctional use of forests, issues of sustainable cultivation, climate change and carbon sequestration, and to promote international exchange, (2) the existing I+ mobile application was improved and further developed to enable forest owners to assess the impact of forest management decisions on timber production, biodiversity and climate change mitigation, and (3) teaching materials were developed for implementing training in the established educational forests sites North Karelia.