Chapter 1: A Journey Through Aquitaine's Forests

In the summer of 2008, while on a family road trip, I found myself in the Aquitaine region of southwestern France. As we traversed the expansive woodlands, a captivating scene emerged: rows of trees standing uniformly, reminiscent of a well-disciplined army. This stark contrast to the wild, diverse Mediterranean forests I was familiar with intrigued me.

Beneath the tree canopy, the ground appeared sparse, with only a few patches of heather blooming here and there, creating an almost monotonous landscape. As I pondered this, I realized that if I were a wildlife creature, this forest may not offer the most engaging habitat. With limited biomass, the ecosystem seemed devoid of life, presenting few competitors and fewer companions — a rather dull existence.

A European Initiative for Restoration

Fast forward to April of this year, I revisited the same site, now joined by over 100 experts participating in SUPERB, an ambitious project funded by the Horizon programme aimed at restoring thousands of hectares of forest across Europe.

This initiative, which encompasses 12 forests including the Aquitaine site, aims to fulfill the EU’s Nature Restoration bill, which sets goals for restoring 30% of degraded habitats by 2030, 60% by 2040, and 90% by 2050. It also seeks to provide vital insights into wildlife, ecosystem services, and carbon sequestration across the continent.

The Aquitaine site, covering 1 million hectares of planted forests, plays a pivotal role in the local economy, with 90% of its plantations privately owned. Historically, landowners thrived through patience and long-term planning, knowing that trees take time to mature, but yield significant returns. In a typical harvest, the first trees removed are used for pulp and paper, while smaller trees serve packaging needs, and larger ones are processed into structural lumber or flooring.

However, during my visit, I noticed that the once orderly and well-managed forest now seemed unbalanced and problematic. Years of relentless production had exhausted the soil and its flora, and the climate was becoming increasingly arid. Landowners expressed concerns over more frequent natural disasters, including wildfires, pest infestations, and violent storms.

I was there to assess restoration efforts and learn from local scientists. Throughout our discussions, one term emerged repeatedly: resilience — the capacity to recover from disturbances, regardless of their source. In forestry, this concept is often linked to biodiversity, a term we scientists use to describe flourishing wildlife. Since December 2021, the SUPERB project has been dedicated to rejuvenating the biodiversity of Aquitaine's forests.

Chapter 2: Reviving Biodiversity through Green Corridors

To restore the lackluster, homogeneous nature of the forest, intervention is often necessary — at least from a human perspective. This involves multiple layers: at the landscape level, where forests, pastures, and agricultural areas must be managed in harmony; at the species level, ensuring a variety of trees, shrubs, and herbs offer habitats for wildlife; and at the population level, where diverse trees of the same species can respond differently to environmental stresses, thereby increasing their survival odds.

However, implementing these strategies presents economic and logistical hurdles. Harvesting trees of varying ages and species simultaneously is challenging, and large machinery often struggles with access. This is where the SUPERB project's hedgerows play a crucial role. Our team has been planting 10 kilometers of hedgerows across 20,000 hectares to connect existing broadleaf species, like oaks. This initiative aims to establish a physical barrier that enhances resilience against pests, diseases, and other threats exacerbated by climate change such as storms and droughts.

Amidst these changes, while some landowners have embraced the idea of mixed hedgerows around their pine plantations, others remain cautious, requiring compelling evidence to justify the costs and deviation from tradition. Scientists from various French institutions, including INRAE and the European Institute of Planted Forests, have worked diligently to reassure them. Throughout the week, drones surveyed the area, contrasting the uniform pine forests with the rich diversity of hedgerows. On the ground, we encountered a variety of conservation efforts: insect traps, snake pitfall traps, microhabitats for lizards, tree cavities for bats, and audio and camera traps for monitoring wildlife.

In our quest to understand ecosystems and enhance resilience, much remains to be discovered. While we await comprehensive insights, the "closer to nature" management approach is gaining favor. This method prioritizes ecological integrity, biodiversity, and sustainable practices over intensive human intervention, mimicking natural processes. Yet, translating this knowledge into actionable management strategies for forest managers is another critical aspect of SUPERB's mission.

As the coordinator of the SUPERB project, I had the privilege of visiting all its demonstration sites, from the forests of Castille in Leon to the alpine landscapes of Vindelälven-Juhttatahkka biosphere in Sweden, and the mountainous regions of Vyso?ina and North Moravia in the Czech Republic. Each forest presented unique challenges, such as bark beetle infestations, fragmented trees, wildfires, and abandoned lands, making it clear that tailored approaches are essential for effective restoration, even when confronting similar issues.

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