Austrian Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests

Austrian Federal Office and
Research Centre for Forests
Austrian Federal Office and
Research Centre for Forests
History
Locations
Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests: the headquarters in Vienna Schönbrunn
The Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests (BFW) has branch offices in Vienna, Innsbruck, Imst and Tulln/Lower Austria. As of
1st June 2002, following the Amendment to the Federal Forest Act, the two forest training centres of Ort/Upper Austria and
Ossiach/Carinthia belong to the BFW. The headquarter of the BFW is located in Vienna Schönbrunn, near the Zoo of Schönbrunn and
the Gloriette. The building hosts the Head Office, the Administration Unit, the Departments of Forest Ecology, of Forest Protection, of
Forest Growth and Economics, of Air Pollution Research and Forest Chemistry and of Forest Inventory.
Vienna Mariabrunn
Imperial and Royal Forest Experiment Directorate Mariabrunn 1897
The Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests (BFW), the former Federal Forest Research Centre (FBVA) was founded in
1874 by Emperor Franz Josef I as Imperial and Royal Forest Experiment Directorate. Deforestations as a consequence of enormous
clear cuttings for mining led to the foundation of forestry research centres in Austria and other European countries in the seventies
of the 19th century. The first headquarter of today’s BFW was the former Secondary Forest School of Mariabrunn in Vienna. Since
1957 the headquarters of the BFW are located in Vienna Schönbrunn. The Amendment of 1st June 2002 to the Federal Forest Act
brought about major changes. The new full name reads “Austrian Federal Office and Research Centre and Training Centre for
Forests, Natural Hazards and Landscape”.
Mariabrunn, the former monastery of the Augustinian order in the Western
part of Vienna, hosts the Department of Silviculture with the Unit of Forest
Techniques, the Department of Forest Genetics, the units of Torrent
Research and the Museum of Forest Experimentation.
In addition, the house operates one of the three forest nurseries of the
BFW and an arboretum. Further forest nurseries are to be found in
Tulln/Lower Austria and in Schönbrunn. As of autumn 2002, Mariabrunn
hosts also the Secretariat of the International Union of Forest Research
Organizations (IUFRO). The ancient baroque building dating back to the
17th century has been restaured between 1988 and 1994.
During the first decades after foundation of the research centre forest research
concentrated on dendrometry and forest yield science, wood technology and wood
biology as well as forest meteorology and torrent and avalanche research.
Major emphasis was placed already on provenance and seed research and on
methods of natural and artificial regeneration. Many trial plots with different wood
species were established. Some are still in use today, especially for resin production.
Other important topics were forest protection issues such as forest pest, tree diseases
and control methods. Toxic effects of the so-called smoke gases – today called air
pollution – were gaining in importance. Investigations in the field of forest techniques
and forest work facilitation were conducted already at the beginning of the 20th century
at the Forest Research Centre. The further history of today’s BFW was one of
continuing uncertainty. Again and again its existence was threatened.
In the fifties the establishment of the Forest Inventory gave fresh impetus to the
activities of the Forest Research Centre. The so-called “forest dieback” was the great
challenge for forest research at the beginning of the eighties. Forest damage research
became a matter of public concern.
The Amendment of 1st June 2002 to the Federal Forest Act generated an enlargement
of the scope of scientific activities.
In the future, forest and natural hazard research is to be put into the wider context of
landscape sciences and socioeconomic framework conditions. Research and training
activities will join forces even more than before.
Visit the Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests on the internet under http://fbva.forvie.ac.at!
The BFW website offers information on research activities, organisation and locations of the BFW providing access to
online-databases such as forest inventory, forest reproductive material, forest machinery, bioindicator grid (BIN), projects,
publications, staff, interesting special sites and links to the websites of the Training Centres for Forestry Ort and Ossiach.
The Training Centres for Forestry
The Training Centres for Forestry Ort (left)
and Ossiach (right) belong to the Federal
Forest Office and Research Centre for
Forests since 1st June 2002, following the
Amendment to the Federal Forest Act.
This means that research and training is
being combined under the umbrella of one
organisational unit.
Arthur von Seckendorff-Gudent,
the first director of today´s BFW
A statue
in the forest
nursery of
Mariabrunn
is dedicated
to the most
famous pupil
of the
Secondary
Forest
School, Josef
Ressel, who
invented
the ship´s
propellor.
Innsbruck, Patscherkofel and Imst in the Tyrol
The Department of Avalanche and Torrent Research of the BFW is located at the Hofburg in Innsbruck. The Alpine Timberline
Research Station on the Patscherkofel near Innsbruck is conducting forest plant physiological research and climate studies both in
the field and in the laboratory. The centre of mycorrhiza research is in Imst.
The Museum of Forest Experimentation goes back to the times of the
Secondary Forest School (1813 – 1866).
Austrian Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests BFW (former Federal Forest Research Centre)
Federal Ministry of Agruculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management BMLFUW
Director: Dr. Karl Schieler A-1131 Wien Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8
Tel.: +43-1-878 38 Fax: +43-1-878 38 -1250 Email: direktion@fbva.bmlf.gv.at Internet: http://fbva.forvie.ac.at
Austrian Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests BFW (former Federal Forest Research Centre)
Federal Ministry of Agruculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management BMLFUW
Director: Dr. Karl Schieler A-1131 Wien Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8
Tel.: +43-1-878 38 Fax: +43-1-878 38 -1250 Email: direktion@fbva.bmlf.gv.at Internet: http://fbva.forvie.ac.at
Austrian Federal Office and
Research Centre for Forests
Austrian Federal Office and
Research Centre for Forests
Tasks
Research, monitoring and long-term trials, international collaboration, public authority activities and
training are priority tasks of the BFW
Research
Research activities focus on forest and landscape research aiming at sustainable and close-to-nature
management of the Austrian forests.
The Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests is an institution under the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry, Environment and Water Management. It serves as a research, training, information, coordination and advisory centre for
forests, natural hazards and landscape including being forest authority. The BFW combines eight specialized departments and two
training centres for forestry: Ort and Ossiach. The responsibilities are regulated under the Amendment of 1st June 2002 to the Federal
Forest Act, Section IX, § 130. For the first time, a Federal Forest Office has been established which is tasked to execute public
authority activities. The BFW has the power to issue official notices and orders under the provisions of the Federal Forest
Reproductive Material Law and the Federal Plant Protection Law. Within the training centres of Ort and Ossiach the BFW has the task
to train forest guards, to participate in the training of forest workers and to transfer knowledge to practitioners gained from the testing
of equipment and machinery.
The Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests elaborates scientific guidelines and disseminates knowledge in the field of
sustainable, close-to-nature and multifunctional forest management, including catchment areas and protection against natural
hazards. The Centre contributes to an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable landscape management. With the execution
of its research activities the BFW fulfils statutory tasks and international commitments of the Republic of Austria. The integration of the
training centres for forestry facilitates the direct transfer of research results into the forest practice. The combination of research centre
and authority provides the necessary framework for the execution of official tasks on the basis of highly topical scientific results.
Forest Area - Development
Organisation
Percentage of forested area
Austria’s forest keeps on growing. From 1961 to 1996 the forested
area has increased by 230.000 ha in total. This information is
provided by the Austrian Forest Inventory. The figures of the ongoing
survey will be available in 2003.
Research tasks
The scope of scientific activities covers the following areas:
•Investigations and research in the field of forest, natural hazard
and landscape sciences including marginal areas
•Surveys on the status and development of the Austrian forest,
including the periodically conducted Austria-wide forest inventory
•Establishment, documentation and scientific use of natural forest
reserves and coordination of natural forest research
•Execution of measures to secure forest genetic resources
•Surveys of all kinds to ascertain causes and extent of forest
damage, especially those caused by game or by air pollution
•Design and maintenance of long-term trials and permanent
monitoring plots, especially in connection with changes in the
forest ecosystem
•A further task of the BFW is the coordination of research activities,
monitoring systems and knowledge management in the field of
forest, natural hazards and landscape sciences.
Austrian Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests BFW (former Federal Forest Research Centre)
Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management BMLFUW
Director: Dr. Karl Schieler A-1131 Wien Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8
Tel.: +43-1-878 38 Fax: +43-1-878 38 -1250 Email: direktion@fbva.bmlf.gv.at Internet: http://fbva.forvie.ac.at
Research activity at the international level
In compliance with the regulations of the European Union
and other international commitments the BFW is obliged
to conduct long-term monitoring programmes. In addition,
BFW experts are participating in many EU research
projects and COST-Actions.
Forest management and issues such as the expansion of
broadleaved tree species, carbon stocks and greenhouse
gases in the European forests, integrated pest
management and protection from avalanches are dealt
with in practically-oriented, short-term and interdisciplinary
EU projects with international cooperation.
Some of the projects aim at the harmonisation,
international comparability and integration of national
research projects into European objectives.
All these projects have a major impact on Austrian
forestry. Forest enterprises are often directly involved in
research activities.
Detailed information under http://fbva.forvie.ac.at/050/1801
Protection against
natural hazards and
risk management have
always been traditional
priority tasks of the
BFW. In the future,
even more emphasis
will be placed on the
utilisation,
management and
protection of catchment
areas with a view to
safeguard the national
water resources, in
joint collaboration with
other research
institutions.
Austrian Federal Office and Research Centre for Forests BFW (former Federal Forest Research Centre)
Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management BMLFUW
Director: Dr. Karl Schieler
A-1131 Wien Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8
Tel.: +43-1-878 38 Fax: +43-1-878 38 -1250 Email: direktion@fbva.bmlf.gv.at Internet: http:/fbva.forvie.ac.at