Researcher Urges Balanced Approach to Forest Management

University of Copenhagen associate professor Sebastian Kepfer-Rojas warns that managing forests solely as carbon sinks fails to address the global biodiversity crisis. While plantations are efficient at absorbing CO2, they often lack the ecological variation required to sustain diverse plant and animal life.

Nearly 80% of assessed European forests currently hold an 'unfavorable' conservation status due to homogeneous, dense planting practices. Experts suggest that high biodiversity requires unmanaged areas where trees can die and fall naturally, a strategy currently being implemented in Denmark through the conversion of farmland into untouched forests.

Editor's note: The brief accurately summarizes the expert's position and the context of forest management in Denmark and Europe.