The publication addresses the importance of biodiversity for forest resilience, particularly in the context of climate change and increasing disturbances. It highlights how the diversity of tree and plant species strengthens the forest's ability to recover from storms, fires and drought, and increases productivity. Publication emphasizes the importance of biodiversity for the resilience and health of forests, especially in the context of climate change and increasing disturbances.

Key points:

• Biodiversity increases resilience: Diverse forests are better prepared to recover from adverse events such as storms and pest outbreaks, and large-scale extinctions are less likely.
• Productivity: Higher tree biodiversity can increase forest productivity.
• Irreplaceable service: Forest biodiversity is difficult to replace, so its preservation is important.
• Value: In addition to its benefits, biodiversity also has intrinsic value and supports ecological stability.
• Failures as opportunities: Natural disturbances can support biodiversity by creating space for species adapted to climate change.
• Recommendations for policymakers: Promoting tree species diversity, managing wildlife populations and promoting structural diversity of forests.
• Recommendations for forest owners and managers: Diversifying tree species, using disturbances to promote biodiversity growth, and adapting measures to local needs.
• Compromises: Increasing tree diversity may reduce short-term economic gains but builds long-term ecosystem stability and resilience. Intensive practices may reduce the impacts of disturbance but often harm biodiversity. Retaining dead wood may be beneficial for biodiversity but may increase risks such as pests or fires. Spring

Glossary of Key Terms

• Biodiversity: The diversity of life on Earth at all levels, including genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity.
• Resilience: The ability of an ecosystem, such as a forest, to recover after a disturbance such as a storm, fire, or pest infestation.
• Disturbance: A disturbance to an ecosystem that changes its structure and function. Examples include storms, fires, droughts, and pest infestations.
• Functional feature: Characteristics of a tree species that influence its interaction with the environment and its role in the ecosystem (e.g., drought tolerance, growth rate, root depth).
• Natural Regeneration: Forest regeneration through the spontaneous growth of new trees from natural sources such as seeds and shoots.
• Deadwood: Dead trees and their parts that remain in the forest and provide habitat for various species.
• Monoculture: A forest made up predominantly of one species of tree.
• Mixed forest: A forest made up of various types of trees.
• Structural diversity: The diversity of the vertical and horizontal structure of the forest, including tree height, stand density, and the presence of dead wood.
• Ecosystem Services (Ecosystem Services): The benefits that people derive from ecosystems, such as timber production, climate regulation, water purification, and recreation.