The analysis of the AFI (Association Futaie Irrégulière) monitoring plots in the Great Region (Wallonia, Germany, France, Luxembourg) provides useful benchmarks for forest managers. As part of the Interreg Askafor project, the AFI provided results from its monitoring network to identify common trends for forest management. The full report is available for three species (oak, beech and Douglas fir) and is available on askafor.eu.
The report is divided into three parts for each species:
- Dendrometric report: growing stock management, harvesting distribution, quality management, understory management and natural regeneration.
- Economic balance: financial flows, capital evolution and rotation.
- Ecological balance: dead wood and dendro-microhabitats.
The AFI network shows that CCF is a viable and beneficial method for managing oak groves, both economically and ecologically. These results illustrate the importance of adaptive and continuous management based on the observation of natural dynamics.