Projected changes are rapid and, in some cases, too fast for natural adaptation processes to maintain healthy and biodiverse forests. In parallel, we see novel social regimes that emanate from societies hit by climate change, increasing urbanisation, globalisation and trade, land use change, energy transition, as well as changing attitudes and demands related to forests and their ESs. The natural and social spheres coevolve and interact in complex and sometimes unexpected ways to create risks and wicked problems (impossible to solve). These challenges call for new approaches that systematically integrate the social sciences into forest research.

Future Forests therefore consistently views and conceptualises forests as social-ecological systems (SESs, s. Box 1) in which social, economic, and ecological components are truly interconnected and coevolving. With a focus on decisionmaking in the context of uncertainties and societal ambiguities regarding the management and governance of future forests, our Cluster strives to make pioneering contributions to the analysis of adapting forest SESs.

The overarching research goal of Future Forests is to generate essential and generic knowledge and tools for the analysis, develop-ment, and assessment of possible adaptation and transformation pathways (A&TPs) (s. Box 2) of forest SESs to ensure landscapes with biodiverse forests that provide healthy living conditions. Structured in three research areas, our Cluster focusses on the analyses of: a) Current and future risks to ES provision and adaptation options to increase resilience and adaptive capacity of novel forest SESs, b) The evidentiary basis, normative principles, and practices of decisionmaking for novel forest SESs by different actors, c) Possible A&TPs towards resilient and adaptive forest SESs, consequences of these path-ways on ESs provision, and suitable governance options.

Our work focusses initially on two hotspots of projected climate change impacts, Germany’s Black Forest and Upper Rhine valley. Both feature a unique density of environmental information and a broad network of stakeholders for surveying, cocreation of research design, and governance experiments. Our innovative research and analysis tools and our strong international network form the basis for transferring the adaptation solutions to other parts of the world and other landuse types.

Involved Institutions:

• Forestry Research and Experimental Station of Baden-Württemberg
• Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute – Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries