Unhealthy soils in the EU: a call for improved forest management
The EU's Soil Degradation Dashboard reveals that 61% of soils are unhealthy, highlighting the need for better forest management to meet climate targets. Research emphasises sustainable practices to mitigate climate change and maintain biodiversity.
The EU has developed a tool that summarises information on soil health and a map showing the location of potentially unhealthy soils. This EUSO Soil Degradation Dashboard reveals that 61 % of soils in the EU are unhealthy, raising concerns about the state of forest soils and the wider implications for the ability of soils to contribute to climate targets.
The challenge of achieving the EU’s climate goals for the Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF) sector is significant and further forest-based climate change mitigation actions are needed to meet the targets.
‘We have several science-based suggestions for climate sustainable forest management practices, many of them maintain forest biodiversity and some of them also lead to more profitable forestry’, says Raisa Mäkipää, Research Professor at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).
Forest management practices matter
Research conducted in the HoliSoils project highlights the importance of improved forest management practices, particularly for forest and peatland soils. Countries with organic soils often report higher emissions, highlighting the potential to reduce emissions through improved management of peat soils. Raising water levels in peatlands can reduce emissions while still supporting forestry activities.
Clear-cutting results in high CO2 and N2O emissions after these operations, and stands with slow regrowth take a long time to compensate for this loss. Studies suggest that continuous cover forestry on fertile drained peatlands is a more sustainable alternative for reducing carbon emissions. In addition, fertilization in boreal forests can increase carbon stocks and carbon use efficiency, while mixed forests are known to improve resilience.
Forest management practices vary regionally and locally due to different environmental conditions. Understanding which forest management practices and where to focus these efforts in Europe's diverse forests is essential to maximise benefits.
Improved data collection and continued research needed
Despite existing knowledge, more research is needed to improve soil health and condition through improved forest management practices. As the climate changes, it is crucial to understand how different forest management practises impact soils and study how to improve soil resilience.
In the majority of the EU member states, current greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory reporting relies on ‘no change’ assumption for forest soils or constant emission factors reported in national inventory reports, while some countries base their emission and sink estimates on soil models or repeated measurements. For organic soils reporting is limited to a few countries and most of these use constant emission factors that are not able to account management-driven changes in GHG exchange. To make informed, data-driven decisions, it is vital to improve soil models and integrate them into decision-making tools.
In conclusion, addressing the issue of unhealthy soils in the EU requires a multi-faceted approach, including better forest management practices, long-term data collection, improved GHG inventory methods that take into account management, and more research on forests and soils to adapt to changing climate conditions.
Holistic management practices, modelling and monitoring for European forest soils (HoliSoils) is EU funded H2020 project coordinated by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). HoliSoils aims to develop a harmonised soil monitoring framework. It identifies and tests soil management practices aiming to mitigate climate change and sustain provision of various ecosystem services essential for human livelihoods and wellbeing.
