Tasks

• Forest growth as the central criteria for sustainability
  The key task of the Department of Forest Growth and Silviculture is to determine the productivity of forest trees, tree species, forest stands and forest enterprises and to study the factors which influence increment, quality and value of trees and stands over a long period. Thorough knowledge on the growth behaviour of forest trees and stands is a key requirement for an efficient and sustainable management of forest ecosystems.
  
  
• Evaluation of forest management concepts
  Most of the research projects conducted by the Department deal with the evaluation of growth and increment data as the basis for the productivity of forest enterprises. Investigations of cost and return for various management systems on permanent sample plots provide important information for the decision-making process. The findings on the best possible management concepts are transferred to forest practice by means of publications, workshops and excursions. The data from these trials are the basis for future research work.
  
  
• Testing new harvesting and logging procedures
  Forest operations research is investigating the productivity and effectivnes of working procedures conducting measures of forest management. The investigations are mainly focussing on mechanized harvesting as this is causing by far highest costs within forest enterprises. The practitioners are continously informed on recent results via media and other presentations.
  
  
• Forest damage monitoring
  The monitoring of forest damage in accordance with the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution of the UN/ECE as pan-european monitoring, the Regulations of the European Union for the Protection of the Forests (Nos 1696/87 and 2995/89) and the coordination of all relevant national activities are gaining increasingly in importance.
  
  
• Dendrochronology
  The enormous knowledge gained in the field of forest growth research and forest yield, in particular the experience and the available layouts for year ring analyses are valuable sources for expert opinion on the assessment of disturbances and other problems.
  
  
• More information on the advances and research tasks of the Department are provided in the Chronicle "125 years of FBVA"

Divisions

• Forest Establishment and Tending:     Dipl.-Ing. Werner Ruhm
• Forest Growth:    Dipl.-Ing. Günter Rössler
• Forest Damage Survey:   Dipl.-Ing. Ferdinand Kristöfel
• Forest Operations:   Dipl.-Ing. Wilfried Pröll

Contact

Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8, A-1130 Vienna

Tel. +43-1-878 38 / 1329

Fax +43-1-878 38 / 1250

Email: markus.neumann@bfw.gv.at