The project’s various research findings highlighted the effects that forest soils have not only on the ecological, but also social and economic dimensions of forests, and vice versa.
The last annual meeting of the HoliSoils project took place in Marseille, France, from 8-10 April. CEPF Junior Policy Officer Alina Lehikoinen participated in the project meeting to exchange with researchers and stakeholders on the project’s latest findings and its implications for forest management and policy.
The five-year HoliSoils project is coming to an end later this year. It has aimed to address forest soils and their management in ways that mitigate climate change, ensure the provision of various ecosystem services, and support human well-being. Among the most significant insights shared during the meeting was a growing understanding that forest soils require their own specific monitoring strategies due to their unique differences from other ecosystems’ soils. Presentations addressed forest soils from many perspectives, including ecological, social and economic. Altogether the presentations highlighted the importance of better understanding of forest soils and their various effects, interlinkages, and dynamics with forests aboveground.
In addition to getting to learn from researchers about their recent findings, CEPF actively participated in the meeting, contributing the perspective of private forest owners in two dedicated sessions. As a member of the project’s Stakeholder Advisory Board, CEPF shared its views on the importance of communicating research results in ways that are both meaningful and applicable for practitioners.
Participants also had the opportunity to explore field realities through a site visit to two nearby project plots. The first researched climate change effects on oak forests while the second focused on forest management impacts on natural oak regeneration.
