It’s a misty Tuesday afternoon in June at the ETH Hönggerberg Campus in Zurich. Participants of our Swiss Integrate Network workshop have geared up in waterproof clothes and are ready for a few more hours of outdoor fun at the so-called “Waldlabor” – a unique forest area on the outskirts of the city. Diverse learning...
What makes ecoparks special? Swedish ecoparks are unique for their large, contiguous landscapes where ecological values are prioritized, often exceeding 50% of the area dedicated to nature conservation. They also include older forests than most of Sveaskog’s forest landscapes: 52% of forests in ecoparks are over a century old, while only 15% of forests outside...
In Auberive, northeastern France, a shift in forest management began in the 1990s when local communities raised concerns over increasing clearcuts and their impact on the landscape. These conversations marked the beginning of a long-term transition towards more ecological and socially responsive forest practices. Over the past two decades, Auberive has adopted Continuous Cover Forestry...
This September, forest owners, forestry professionals, and nature enthusiasts are invited to two new outdoor workshops in Ireland, organised by the Teagasc Forestry Development Department in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Forestry Division. The events are coordinated by Integrate Network chairs Jonathan Spazzi and Dermot Dunphy. Both workshops will...
Official Chairmanship Hand-over from Austria to Ireland between the Integrate Network Chair 2024, Georg Frank (left), to the Integrate Network Co-chairs 2025, Dermot Dunphy (middle) and Jonathan Spazzi (right). This year, the Integrate Network is co-chaired by two representatives from Ireland: Dermot Dunphy from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Jonathan Spazzi...
Article written by Katharina Freund (European Forest Institute) It’s a fresh morning after days of scorching heat when we gather in the Kottenforst near Bonn early on June 26. The air feels heavier than before – humid, almost tropical – and one can sense a thunderstorm approaching. The forest seems subdued, almost as if it...
At the beginning of June, more than 50 participants – including forestry practitioners, researchers and policymakers – gathered in Zurich, Switzerland, for an interactive 3-day Integrate Network workshop. The days were marked by insightful presentations, vivid discussions and diverse outdoor sessions, where participants discussed how to promote more resilient and species-rich forests, as well as...
Forests are under growing pressure – from climate extremes and invasive pests to rising wood demand and biodiversity loss. In a new article, Prof. Dr. Andreas Rigling (ETH Zurich) explains how integrated forest management can help forests navigate these changes while still providing vital ecosystem services. Rather than relying on either multifunctional or segregative strategies...
The Forest Restoration Talks returned on June 11 with a timely and pressing question: what happens after a severe windstorm in the forest? With storm Éowyn leaving a clear mark on Irish forests in spring 2025 – uprooted trees, fragmented canopies, and policy gaps laid bare – experts and practitioners came together to exchange knowledge...
In the wake of Storm Eowyn – which occurred on 24. January 2025 and brought unprecedented wind speeds and widespread disruption across Ireland – forest landscapes have suffered significant damage across the country. This Integrate Network webinar, organized under the “Forest Restoration Talks” series in collaboration with SUPERB Project, TRANSFORMIT project and FoRISK facility, brings together forestry professionals, environmental scientists, policymakers, and...
