Towards resilient forest establishment in Europe: functional traits, genetic diversity and multifunctional design

Abstract Forest restoration and afforestation across Europe are accelerating, yet the decision-making processes governing forest establishment remain unevenly examined, especially from a biodiversity perspective. Considering this and the global environmental changes of climate shifts, land-use transitions, and biological invasions, the present review provides guidance for planning and establishment of multifunctional forests that enhance biodiversity outcomes without compromising long-term forest productivity or resilience. Aiming to assist both practitioners and researchers, we have particularly focused on tree species selection, plant production and management of forest reproductive material, and on-field establishment practices. Literature revision and expert observations indicate that tree species selection must integrate functional traits, provenance performance, and ecological impact assessments alongside species distribution models, since climatic suitability alone does not predict performance under future conditions. Genetic diversity remains severely underutilized in operational forestry but can be advanced through assisted migration, provenance mixing, and traceable seed sources as practices that need to be better supported and monitored. Concurrently, the plant production chain contains multiple points where genetic diversity is eroded, along with advancement opportunities explored through pan-European projects focusing on diversity standards, regional seed-exchange networks, and low-cost molecular monitoring. On-field, the choice between direct seeding and planting needs to link better genetic diversity targets and site conditions rather than biased preference. And finally, urban forests, increasingly recognized as components of the restoration continuum, require context-specific species selection and a transition from isolated specimen planting to more complex and inclusive design (similar to stand level in natural forests) to deliver meaningful biodiversity and multifunctionality outcomes.

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Publication Details

Journal
New Forests
Published
2026-08-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-026-10205-1
Primary Topic
Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Towards resilient forest establishment in Europe: functional traits, genetic diversity and multifunctional design

Antonio Montagnoli, Kristaps Makovskis, Dušan Gömöry, Viktorija Brndevska Stipanović et al.
New Forests
Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
article

Towards resilient forest establishment in Europe: functional traits, genetic diversity and multifunctional design

Antonio Montagnoli, Kristaps Makovskis, Dušan Gömöry, Viktorija Brndevska Stipanović, Branislav Cvjetković, Inês Domingues, Anastazija Dimitrova, Barbara Mariotti, Roberto Tognetti, Branko Kanjevac, Andrea Piotti, Radosław Puchałka, Natalia Vysotska, Vicenç Carabassa, Jelena Milovanović, Raquel Benavides, Jelena Lazarević, Mehtap Koç, Enrique Andivia, Georgi Hinkov, Marcin K. Dyderski, Marcin Klisz, Alla Aleksanyan, Giovanbattista de Dato, Marianthi Tsakaldimi, Claudia Cocozza, Mathieu Lévesque, Fabian Waldvogel
article en

Abstract

Abstract Forest restoration and afforestation across Europe are accelerating, yet the decision-making processes governing forest establishment remain unevenly examined, especially from a biodiversity perspective. Considering this and the global environmental changes of climate shifts, land-use transitions, and biological invasions, the present review provides guidance for planning and establishment of multifunctional forests that enhance biodiversity outcomes without compromising long-term forest productivity or resilience. Aiming to assist both practitioners and researchers, we have particularly focused on tree species selection, plant production and management of forest reproductive material, and on-field establishment practices. Literature revision and expert observations indicate that tree species selection must integrate functional traits, provenance performance, and ecological impact assessments alongside species distribution models, since climatic suitability alone does not predict performance under future conditions. Genetic diversity remains severely underutilized in operational forestry but can be advanced through assisted migration, provenance mixing, and traceable seed sources as practices that need to be better supported and monitored. Concurrently, the plant production chain contains multiple points where genetic diversity is eroded, along with advancement opportunities explored through pan-European projects focusing on diversity standards, regional seed-exchange networks, and low-cost molecular monitoring. On-field, the choice between direct seeding and planting needs to link better genetic diversity targets and site conditions rather than biased preference. And finally, urban forests, increasingly recognized as components of the restoration continuum, require context-specific species selection and a transition from isolated specimen planting to more complex and inclusive design (similar to stand level in natural forests) to deliver meaningful biodiversity and multifunctionality outcomes.

New ForestsVol. 57(5)
University of Insubria (IT), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (ES), Singidunum University (RS), Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (IT), University of Banja Luka (BA), Estonian University of Life Sciences (EE), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (GR), Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BG), Nicolaus Copernicus University (PL), ETH Zurich (CH), University of Belgrade (RS), Fundación Biodiversidad (ES), Forest Research Institute (HU), Technická univerzita vo Zvolene (SK), Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources (IT), Institute of Chemical Physics NAS RA (AM), Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa (TR), Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications (ES), Latvian State Forest Research Institute "Silava" (LV), Eurasia International University (AM), University of Florence (IT), University of Montenegro (ME), Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (PL), University of Aveiro (PT), Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje (MK), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ES)
Università degli Studi dell'Insubria
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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