HoliSoils findings in Slovakia reveal stronger climate adaptation in mixed forests
Experts from HoliSoils demonstrate that mixed forests offer greater climate resilience, growth stability, and carbon balance than vulnerable spruce monocultures.
Researchers from the Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen presented new findings from the HoliSoils project at the workshop “Forests in a Changing Environment: Tree Adaptation and Carbon Balance”, held on 9 October 2025 in Čierny Balog and Dobročský primary forest in Slovakia.
The event, organised in cooperation with the Poľana Protected Landscape Area Administration and Lesy SR, a state enterprise, aimed to share project results, promote knowledge transfer, and foster discussion with forest practitioners. It brought together foresters, forest district managers, and representatives of both public and private forest sectors.
Field demonstrations at the Dobročský primary forest showcased ongoing HoliSoils research, confirming that spruce monocultures are highly vulnerable to drought, while mixed forests maintain greater growth stability, carbon balance, and resilience to climate extremes.
Discover the full HoliSoils story behind these groundbreaking findings!
Full reference:
Michal Bosela, Peter Marcis, Dominik Polťák, Jerguš Rybár, Peter Fleischer sr, Peter Fleischer jr, Erika Gömöryová, Jaroslav Vido, Paulína Nalevanková, Jaroslav Škvarenina, Marián Homolák, Jozef Výbošťok, Boris Ťupek, Tijana Martinović, Petr Baldrian, Aleksi Lehtonen, Raisa Mäkipää.Norway spruce monoculture has lower resilience and carbon sequestration capacity than a more diverse broadleaved forest: A case study in Central Europe. Forest Ecology and Management, Volume 591, 2025, 122829, ISSN 0378-1127, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122829.
