A pilot project in Lower Austria aims to help develop strategies for better adapting forests to climate change by 2030.

The forest of the future is growing in the Gänserndorf district. On six hectares of land in the Lower Austrian municipality of Matzen-Raggendorf, more than 10,000 trees of 35 different species are being cultivated.

By 2030, regular evaluations in this "climate research forest" are intended to identify which tree species and compositions thrive best in areas affected by climate change.

The project, which started in 2019, is a collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture, the Federal Research Centre for Forests (BFW), OMV, and the state of Lower Austria.

Climate-relevant measurements are being carried out across the three sections of the site. A team of experts continuously monitors several forest functions, such as carbon storage and biodiversity.

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