Prosilva is an association of foresters brought together to promote a irregular Sylviculture continues near to nature (SICPN). Its creation goes back to 1989 in Slovenia.
Pro Silva is a mode of Sylviculture based on the management of the quality, which wants to be respectful processes natural of the ecosystem S foresters, while being economically viable, even more profitable than of other modes of sylviculture, intensives and not very sure vis-a-vis the risks which can affect the forests (Tempête S, Incendie S, Maladie S) or even vis-a-vis the fluctuations of the course of wood.
This sylviculture preaches a durable management of the forest developing the biological Automation (the bio-automatisms for Andréas Speich, old directing of the Forest of Zurich) by a diversity of composition and structure close to that which one finds or would find in nature, in a biogeographic context are equivalent, while integrating the functions ecological and social which are now assigned with the forests (Convention of Rio on the biodiversity, Processus of Helsinki.).
This sylviculture makes it possible to obtain constant and regular incomes while having multipurpose, continuous and stable Forêt S (more resilient). It can much more easily be the subject of a ecocertification or a ecosociocertification.
Profitability and advantages
The volume produced on a piece being not very variable, the sales turnover will depend especially on the individual value of the trees, which according to Brice De Turckheim, chair of Pro Silva France, can easily pass from 1 to 100. Sylviculture close to nature offers according to its promoters and experts of many advantages on management out of close-cropped cuts.The advantages are in particular:
- better stability of the forest, thanks to the diversity of the ages, layers and gasolines, which decreases the extension risk of the diseases and the sensitivity to various risks (attacks pathogenic the or parasitic ones, fires, large windfallen woods, etc)
- better protection of the grounds, without having the devastators effects of certain close-cropped cuts (erosion, degradation, compressing, etc)
- reduction in the apparent duration of the production, thanks to the covering of the ages;
- reduction of the need for care to the settlement, thanks to the “biological automation” ,
- early production of poles of high-quality, quickly which may undergo beneficiation;
- reduction in the sacrifices of exploitability by an individual follow-up and an exploitation of the stems (management step by step, or in bouquet, opposed to management by close-cropped cuts of great pieces).
- reduction of the overheads in particular less plantation, of release and breaks, on the other hand hammering (marking of wood to be crossed) requires more experiment and of observation;
- flexibility increased with respect to the market, with possible sale when the market is favorable, or makes an attempt with production of large wood, if necessary.
History
This management style initially developed in Germany after the Second world war in order to face the after-effects of war and with the lack of means in the context of rebuilding of Germany. Indeed, the seedlings of the German Pépinière S were mobilized in order to retimber in France, under the forest, war damagees devastated by the conflict. In order to reconstitute these forests by respecting the environment, and with a minimum of average techniques and financial, certain German foresters took as a starting point the natural processes of ecological impact strength of the forest ecosystem. This explains why this sylviculture is still described as “ near to nature ”.Prosilva belongs to a movement called ecoforestry by the Anglo-Saxons.
Europe
Pro Silva Europe gathers 24 countries and more than 6.000 foresters sharing the same forestry designs.Co-operation: From 2005 to 2007, an European project Interreg “ Coopération for a Forestry Revival ” (CooRenSy) gathers Belgian, Luxembourg organizations and administration and Frenchwomen who want to share their knowledge or experiments as regards management of irregular groves and application of the principles of Pro Silva, to provide the managers and owners a good alternative, tested, as well on the economic plan as ecological. Site: www.coorensy.eu
In France
Pro Silva France is an national association which declines itself in regional groups, whose base of operation is articulated around forest rounds. Pro Silva France is integrated at the European level with Pro Silva Europe, who gathers 24 countries and more than 6.000 foresters having the same forestry designs.
In Belgium
DNF (Division of Nature and the Forests) supports since years 2000 of the individual initiatives of its agents wanting to test a sylviculture Pro Silva. The DNF announces in 2006 to better want to develop this forestry approach within its national forests and in part of the communal properties, because Pro Silva seems to him the best means of answering waitings of the owners and sustainable development, the DNF in addition having to be an example for the public and private owners. Pro Silva seems finally better capable to fill engagements of the DNF in terms of forest ecocertification or Natura 2000.
Criticisms or limits
Criticisms based on economic arguments were already beaten in breach by the economic evaluations of profitability, which in the medium and long term seem in favor of the methods of management close to nature. And the climatic modifications awaited could further increase the interest of this type of management, more resilient.Among the still possible improvements, would remain the possibility locally of reducing or of removing the bulk-heading (what is done already very locally thanks to the Débardage by cable, on strong slopes). The majority of the forests prosilva, while preaching an ideal management step by step are indeed still partitioned forests very . The bulk-heading is justified there to limit the damage due to the unloading, and so that the forester can “find himself” in forest.
When the bulk-heading consists of vegetalized ways, which respect the natural course of water, and which the machines are limited in weights and are equipped with broad tires and low pressure, and that the building sites are made on cold grounds, their impact is supposed to be null or moderated. But of many bulk-headings and building sites do not answer this ideal, They were made without respect of topography and of the ground, they contribute sometimes to a drainage which makes the forest more vulnerable to the fires and can have a considerable impact on the fragile grounds and in term of ecological Fragmentation of the forest.
However, at the era of the data-processing miniaturization and GPS displacement in forest could in the future have less need for roads and bulk-headings. Small the mobile sawmills already used on the strong slopes or in certain tropical zones makes it possible to output on the spot and to evacuate boards or barks of small sections instead of large barks. The unloading by horse (elephant or other animals in the Tropics) makes it possible to reduce the need for infrastructures. Others suggested that the installation of provisional roads with material such as uses the military Engineering (metal boards openings, removable for rolling, that one recovers at the end of the building site to re-use elsewhere) could be tested. These alternatives have a cost which could perhaps be compensated by additional enforestée surface and an impact strength still improved of the forest. Note: these criticisms and suggestions are worth as much - if not more - for the solid masses managed out of close-cropped cut.
See too
External bonds
For more information, to see the official site of Association:- Prosilva France
- French Logos and European
- Article of Isabelle Van Driessche and Patrick Auquière on sylviculture Pro Silva in Wallonia, which describes the methods employed
- CooRenSy of association Forêt Wallonnesite dedicated to the " project; Co-operation for a Sylvicole" Revival;. " Co-operation for a Sylvicole" Revival; is the heading of a Interreg project devoted to forest management. Its main objective is to provide references and tools with the managers eager to direct themselves more towards the irregular and mixed grove and sylviculture Pro Silva.
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