Biological diversity and ecosystem services of forests focusing on timber: new approaches of sustainable use within the area of conflicts between ecology, economy and climate change
(BioHolz)

Forests are a resource of numerous ecosystem services in the areas of provisioning, regulating and cultural services. Within all timber plays a major rol

1. Timber is a multiple used resource and timber use influences appearance and functions of forests in Germany.
2. Forests are crucial for hydrological and biogeochemical processes that contribute to regulating services and are influenced themselves by timber use.
3. Furthermore, forests are important areas of recreational activities and tourism. For many regions the economic value added is based mainly on these activities and for that is closely linked to timber use.

Due to the so called energy revolution being a politically claimed exit from nuclear and fossil-fuel energy economic pressure on effective timber use has been reinforced, so that amounts of deadwood in managed forests may reduce constantly. Although there are many singular projects dealing with "deadwood", up to now there is no comprehensive and practical strategy for ensuring and improving the supply of deadwood that integrates ecologic, economic and social aspects. The project "BioHolz" will contribute towards a development and implementation of such a strategy. For that, principles of sustainable forest use will be developed, leading to an optimisation of different ecosystem services while improving the habitat of rare species that depend on the existence of deadwood.