Overview of the project

The project aims to make the forests of the Semois Valley National Park more resilient to climate change. To achieve this, several actions are being carried out simultaneously:
1) Identification of forest species adapted to predicted climatic conditions and estimation of the vulnerability of current forest stands based on scientific literature and field observations.
2) Identification and documentation of management initiatives to regenerate a diversity of species adapted to climate change. These initiatives will be quantified with a view to optimizing them and disseminating best practices.
3) Setting up laboratory areas to identify new species and provenances compatible with current and future conditions, and appropriate silviculture. The choice of species will be guided by the results of Task 1 and will take into account the challenges of preserving biodiversity and the physico-chemical quality of the environment (e.g. exclusion of invasive exotic species).
4) The installation of diversification islands to guarantee the presence of seedbeds for a diversity of species adapted to the future climate in the most vulnerable areas of the park by 2050.
5) The initiation of silvicultural operations designed to remove one of the main obstacles to the diversification of beech-oak forests by taking advantage of the mechanisms of forest succession. Grazing pressure is widespread, reducing the number of species capable of regenerating. The cost of the protective measures required to remedy this situation limits diversification to small proportions of regenerated forest areas.