In the Alps, climate change is intensifying natural hazards such as rockfall, flooding, mudslides, and avalanches. Therefore, the protective function of mountain forests is becoming increasingly important, while the forests themselves are under greater stress from extreme weather events and subsequent large-scale forest disasters. Additionally, the growing population in the Alpine region — including forest owners, conservationists, recreation seekers, and others — holds very different views on how protective forests should be managed to address this immense challenge. At the Center for Alpine Forest Management (ZAW), we bring together climatic, phenological, and tree-physiological observations, modeling, remote sensing, and socioeconomic analyses to provide comprehensive insights into how increasingly severe climate change will alter the protective function of mountain forests. By comparing the protected forest in Berchtesgaden National Park with the managed forest in the Zugspitze area, we further investigate how much management is necessary to maintain the protective function of Alpine forests and what effects setting them aside from use would have on their protective function.