More than half of Luxembourg’s forests are privately owned, covering around 49,000 hectares divided among roughly 14,000 owners. Yet many of these owners do not even know exactly where their woodland plots are located. This is one of the issues addressed by the Bëschfürerschäin, a forest management certificate offered by the association Lëtzebuerger Privatbësch.
The training programme is designed to teach private forest owners how to properly manage and care for their woodland. Parcel boundaries, for instance, are not always obvious. They may be marked by something as discreet as a stone on the forest floor, by differences in tree species or age, or by more visible natural features such as a stream or river.
According to Winfried von Loë, who runs the seminars, there is huge potential in Luxembourg’s many small forest plots, but not all owners are aware of where their land begins and ends. Helping them identify and understand their parcels is a key aim of the course.
The forest management certificate consists of ten seminars, all centred on different aspects of forestry. Once owners have identified their plot, they also need to understand the condition of their trees and what is required to maintain them. Climate change has taken a visible toll on Luxembourg’s forests, with many trees weakened or affected by disease. Learning how to respond to such situations is therefore an essential part of the training.
As Aaron Rothe from Lëtzebuerger Privatbësch (Luxembourg private forest) explained, the seminars address practical forestry issues, such as the impact of pests. He gave the example of spruce trees, which are increasingly damaged by bark beetles that bore through the bark, disrupt nutrient flows, and eventually cause the tree to die. Participants learn how these problems arise and how they can be managed, Rothe said.
Letting nature take its course is no longer enough, the experts stress. Active forest management is now necessary, they said, although it is work that unfolds over many years rather than a single afternoon. When trees are in very poor condition, felling may be unavoidable, but leaving land bare is not a solution either.
They explained that replanting is crucial. Forest owner David Michels, who completed the certificate, added that during replanting, young plants must be maintained and given enough space for their crowns to develop. He noted that that initial thinning and replanting work is about to begin on his plot, a process that can stretch over decades.
Anyone interested in obtaining a forest management certificate can find further information on privatbësch.lu.
