overwinteringsbossen

Overwinteringsbossen are forests that are managed or designated to provide overwintering habitat for wildlife. The term is used in European nature conservation and forestry to describe forested areas that offer shelter, food resources, and suitable microclimates during the winter months.

Ecology and habitat features: During winter, forests can serve as roosting and foraging sites for birds, bats, and invertebrates, as well as refuge for mammals. Key features of overwinteringsbossen include a mix of tree species and age classes, standing dead wood and fallen logs, a developed understory, and windbreaks or hedgerows that reduce exposure to cold winds. Food sources such as seeds, buds, and stored energy in cones or nuts are important, as is access to water and protection from snow and ice. Connectivity with other habitats, including wetlands and agricultural lands, enhances resource availability.

Management objectives and practices: The main goal is to sustain biodiversity and the viability of species that rely on forested wintering habitats. Practices often involve retaining old trees and coarse woody debris, avoiding disruptive activities during winter, maintaining structural diversity, and preserving hedges and riparian buffers. In some programs, managers create or maintain roosting trees, cavities, and microhabitats and ensure landscape-scale connectivity to other wintering or foraging areas. Monitoring through bird and bat surveys, as well as habitat assessments, informs adaptive management.

Importance and challenges: Overwinteringsbossen support population resilience, nutrient cycling, and carbon storage while contributing to the broader functioning of ecosystems. Challenges include climate change altering food availability, habitat fragmentation, invasive species, and competing land-use pressures. Adaptive, landscape-scale planning helps optimize wintering habitat across regions.