Harnessing citizen science and stakeholder engagement, to fuel transformative adaptation, in response to the risks of climate change and bark beetle attack across the forests of Lower Austria.

It is widely recognized in academic and policy circles that urgent adaptation to climate change is necessary in the forestry sector. However, traditional wisdom and risk‑averse attitudes can lead to catastrophic adaptation hysteresis. While the general public readily perceives the link between forests and climate change, one of the biggest threats to both carbon stocks and forest health is the bark beetle, whose populations have surged in recent years due to warming. This is a particular problem in Austria, where Norway spruce (Picea abies) covers more than 50% of forested land. With projected temperature increases and changing precipitation patterns, lowland forests and those in already dry regions (e.g., Mühlviertel and Waldviertel) are approaching their upper temperature limits and sufficient precipitation thresholds. These forests are likely to experience drought and cascading pest impacts, particularly bark beetle outbreaks.

Targeted, systematic research that integrates and evaluates forest management strategies and promotes stakeholder and community engagement is crucial for implementing proactive land management and adapting to future climate impacts. In Adapt4K, we aim to directly address these issues by building multi‑actor and stakeholder organizational capacity in the forestry sector and strengthening system‑wide adaptation by providing evidence‑based options and fostering lasting coalitions across Lower Austria (NÖ). We seek to inspire and mobilize both the general public and small‑scale forest owners by highlighting site‑specific vulnerabilities and the realities of climate change, and by involving them in data collection, analysis, and the co‑development of appropriate adaptation pathways. To achieve this, we are establishing a network of Forest Living Labs in NÖ to be monitored over multiple years, generating high‑quality data to inform broader research and practice.