FORest PEATland ecosystem assessment and targeted management for enhanced carbon sequestration, biodiversity and water quality

Project background

ForPeat develops innovative solutions for the sustainable management and renaturation of peatland forests - one of Europe's most important but endangered ecosystems. Through rewetting, climate-smart forestry practices and state-of-the-art monitoring technologies (including AI and satellite-based systems), the project uses open labs to show how climate protection, biodiversity and economic use can be combined. Peatlands store enormous amounts of CO₂, but drainage and use have turned many peatlands into emitters. ForPeat analyzes how these ecosystems can be strengthened as natural climate protectors and develops practical recommendations and financial incentives for policymakers, land users and forestry. The aim is to secure peatland forests as resilient, biodiverse and climate-positive managed habitats in the long term and to evaluate the socio-economic and ecological effects of management.

Project goal

ForPeat aims to optimize the sustainable management of peatland forests in order to combine climate protection, biodiversity and timber production. Rosenheim Technical University of Applied Sciences (THRO) is leading an integrated sustainability assessment of the Open Labs in the project. THRO is also developing a simulation model that maps the effects of future developments in peatland forest management on the timber value chain. This will make it possible to quantify the socio-economic and ecological effects of the use of wood - also compared to other forms of peatland use - in the long term. The results support climate-friendly, economically viable and socially acceptable management strategies.

Project procedure

The 48-month ForPeat project follows a multi-stage, participatory approach that links science, practice and politics. The THRO has been involved in data acquisition and interface coordination since the start of the project: In close coordination with the Open Lab partners and associated institutions, data is collected on ecological, economic and social parameters - which form the basis for the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) of the timber value chain. This is done on the basis of a system dynamics model that simulates future scenarios of timber harvest volumes and assortments from managed peatland forests with regard to their impact on the timber value chain of the regions. Through iterative feedback with the partners, evidence-based recommendations for action for the sustainable, climate-resilient use of peatland forests are developed.

Innovation

ForPeat is setting new standards with its Open Labs in various climatic regions of Europe: these real demonstration areas are the heart of the project, in which renaturation measures such as rewetting are implemented and their effects on CO₂ storage, biodiversity and sustainable wood production are systematically recorded. The unique data basis - from Scandinavia to southern Europe - enables statements to be made about these ecosystems across climate zones.

The combination of:

• AI-supported monitoring & system dynamics modeling that links ecological, economic and social factors and depicts future scenarios.
• Practical solutions for forestry, politics and technology, e.g. through certified timber production, CO₂ certificates and new financing models.

Benefits for:

• Forestry & timber industry: A step towards climate-neutral value chains with verifiable ecosystem services.
• Politics & Society: Scientifically sound decision-making basis for peatland protection and climate strategies.
• Land users: Economically viable management models that combine yields and nature conservation.
• Technology partners: Data-based innovations for AI and environmental monitoring.

ForPeat turns peatland forests into pioneers of the sustainable bioeconomy - with measurable benefits for climate protection, the economy and society.