What is the role of dead wood in our forests? This is the subject of the new Forêt & Naturalité’s investigation file. In this file, Forêt & Naturalité proposes to review current knowledge on dead wood and its role in forest ecosystems. 

One of the challenges of current forest management lies in seeking the balance between sustainable wood production and biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity has become a social issue in itself, but it is also increasingly considered, and rightly so, as an expression of the resilience of the environment to crises. Deadwood has an important role to play here, which is not well known or understood, and in any case not sufficiently taken into account. Unfortunately, and despite the knowledge that has been accumulating on this subject for several decades, its volume and diversity are still insufficient in Walloon forests. 

This file is intended for decision-makers, foresters, public or private owners, practitioners, but also students, teachers or citizens looking for a complete and structured source of information on the subject. The file addresses, among other things, the biodiversity linked to deadwood and the measures necessary for its conservation, the role of deadwood in maintaining forest productivity and carbon storage, and preconceived ideas about the perception of deadwood by foresters and the general public. At the end of the document, based on the overall scientific knowledge, Forêt & Naturalité makes recommendations for minimum measures to conserve deadwood.

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