Eußenheim

Forests play a central role in climate mitigation by storing carbon in living tree biomass. In the Gemeindewald Eußenheim, a strong foundation for long-term carbon storage already exists, resulting from a high share of deciduous tree species and a management approach aligned with continuous cover forestry (Dauerwald). Under a purely forestry-economic approach, the forest would generally be managed under conventional rotation-based systems instead of a continuous cover (Dauerwald) approach, leading to a gradual reduction of forest carbon stocks over time. Through improved forest management (IFM), the project deliberately deviates from this baseline. By maintaining continuous forest cover, reducing harvesting pressure in stable stands, and prioritizing natural regeneration, existing carbon stocks are stabilized over the long term, and carbon losses are significantly reduced compared to the reference scenario. As a result, the forest functions as a reliable long-term carbon sink, safeguarding existing forest carbon stocks and enabling the generation of high-quality carbon credits without compromising forest resilience or ecological integrity.