The impact of forestry on the European Alps

Forestry is the second most important type of land use in the Alps. However, most forests in valleys, including especially valuable forests near riverbanks, have already been lost to settlements, infrastructure and river regulation.

The remaining forest areas are mainly restricted to mountain slopes where they still cover large areas.

Though these forests are exploited throughout the Alps, special care is taken to maintain them as protection against avalanches and rock slides.

These forests are in a relatively natural state: They are nonetheless easily accessible through a dense network of forest roads.

In the past some areas have been reforested, but with monocultures, reducing biodiversity.

These areas are no longer managed and are often too dense boding future senility problems and the collapse of entire stands.

The few pristine forests left in the Alps (about 665 ha) can mostly be found in remote areas where building road forests is not economically viable.

In some parts of the Alps, winter-feeding of game causes the animal population to increase in subalpine forests, with severe impact on the regeneration of these forests and on the diversity of plant species.