Demo areas
Nordsjælland and Thy, Denmark
SUPERB’s Danish demo consists of not only one target area, but of two. The first, in the district of Thy, at the scenic northern part of the Jutland peninsula, is a mixed temperate forest, with large areas of coniferous plantations established for wood production and protection from sand drift. There, SUPERB will establish native tree species and restore natural hydrology by closing drainage systems.
About the demo
The second area is located in Nordsjælland, in the north of Zealand, a place full of castles, Viking relics and scenic coastlines. SUPERB’s goal is to convert managed forests into unmanaged, biodiversity-rich forests through open-ended restoration of ecosystem processes and habitats. In open-ended restoration, the final restoration goal isn’t fixed but flexible depending on the ecosystem dynamics. The current vegetation type is deciduous-dominated production forest with mostly beech and oak but with a pronounced number of conifers.
Restoration activities
Planting
Stakeholder engagement
Hydrology restoration
Protecting regeneration
1.700
ha
Area size
500 ha in Thy and 1.200 ha in Nordsjælland
Type of restoration:
In Thy, we will restore the natural hydrology of coniferous plantations by closing drainage systems. We also aim at diversifying the structure and habitats of mono-specific and even-aged conifer forests. In Nordsjælland, we will promote the conversion of managed forests to unmanaged, and restore biodiversity in deciduous-dominated production forests with a focus on restoring processes and dynamics through veteranisation, grazing, enrichment plantings and restoration of hydrology.
How the demo is now:
In Thy, currently, there are coniferous plantations with a dominance of non-native species, planted originally to prevent sand drift in the 1810s. Restoration actions have introduced native species of both deciduous and coniferous species into the plantations. All forests have been used for wood production and, in that regard, have been heavily drained.
In Nordsjælland, we have mostly deciduous forests dominated by beech and oak but with a pronounced number of conifers (especially Picea abies). The forest patches are even aged stands with very little variation in tree species compositions and lacking or with very low amounts of dead wood. Besides the little variation in tree species, also shrub species are absent. Furthermore, the demo sites have been intensively drained through a network of drainage channels. This creates potential for restoring hydrology within the demo area.
Restoration vision:
We aim at increasing several habitats and species in both of our target areas.
Restoration upscaling potential (within and beyond SUPERB):
Two-thirds of the total forest area in Denmark are dominated by coniferous forest (softwood forest), equivalent to roughly 400.000 ha. Drainage systems are standard practice for forestry in Denmark, and thus the potential for this type of restoration could be up to 300.000-350.000 ha.
Partners
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