Nature’s Shield at Risk 

Protective forests in mountain areas safeguard the environment and infrastructure from avalanches, landslides, wind, and fires. Today, however, they face growing challenges: climate change brings more frequent extreme weather, forest damage is increasing, pressure from wild animals is rising, and management in inaccessible areas is becoming economically unsustainable. 

Protective Forests in Times of Challenge

In October 2018, Austria was hit by Storm “Vaia,” which brought hurricane‑force winds exceeding 200 km/h and record‑breaking rainfall, causing widespread damage in Eastern Tyrol and Carinthia. About 4,300 ha of forest were affected, with more than 95 % being protective forests. Approximately 2 million m³ of timber were broken, more than half on slopes steeper than 30 °. The loss of protective forest function reached historically unprecedented levels, affecting thousands of forest properties and threatening infrastructure, homes, and natural ecosystems.

Key Challenges

Climate change: Average annual temperatures in Austria have risen by approximately 2 °C since 1880.
Natural hazards: Mountain terrains are exposed to avalanches, landslides, rockfalls, and floods — processes exacerbated by extreme events like Storm Vaia.
Wildlife pressure: High populations of wild animals can hinder the natural regeneration of young trees.
Forest fires: Longer dry periods and higher temperatures increase the risk of forest fires, weakening protective functions.
Economic and human factors: Inaccessible locations, low timber yields, and rising costs lead to neglect in management. Human activities — tourism, recreation, agriculture — also exert pressure on forest stability.

Specific Disturbance Examples

In Tyrol, Austria, the 2019 “Climate-Smart Mountain Forest” project planted more than 5,900 trees to promote mixed forests after periods of drought. Yet in some protective forests around Ebensee, the regeneration of young trees remains insufficient, and the ageing forest structure increases their vulnerability to natural hazards.

Impacts on Similar Mountain Regions 

In regions similar, like the Tatra Mountains, Slovakia and their foothills, protective forests serve the same purpose — safeguarding against landslides and avalanches. However, if conditions worsen due to drought, unsuitable tree composition, poor regeneration, forest stability may decline, increasing risks to both communities and natural ecosystems. 

Strategies and Measures

Key measures include promoting mixed-species forests that are more resilient to climate change and pests, improving regeneration by reducing wildlife pressure to ensure successful young growth, and strengthening economic sustainability by simplifying administration and supporting forest owners in hard-to-reach areas. Equally important is raising public awareness of the role of protective forests, as tourism and recreation must respect sensitive zones.

Conclusion 

Protective forests are living infrastructure that is changing and requires our care. To ensure they continue fulfilling their role in sensitive regions, active management, climate adaptation, and public engagement are essential. Their long-term stability depends on continuous regeneration and the presence of diverse, resilient tree species. Preserving their protective functions is both a challenge and a necessity.

That is why European Wilderness Society implements such projects, like Multi-perspective view of Biodiversity in Forests, aiming to develop on a voluntary basis a dynamic and integrative nature conservation approach in Austrian forests in order to motivate forest managers to voluntarily implement measures to promote selected species and habitats on their land. One of the results of this project are webinars in English and German, which are available on our Youtube channel: here.