Sustainable forest management

The role of forests in society and the economy

Forests cover over 40% of the EU’s land. They are essential for the health and wellbeing of all Europeans. We depend on them for the air we breathe and the water we drink.

Their rich biodiversity and unique natural systems are home to most species found on land around the world. Forests have long held a hugely important role in our economy and society, creating jobs and providing food, medicines, materials, clean water and more. For centuries, forests have been a thriving hub for cultural heritage and craftsmanship, tradition, and innovation.

But as important as they were in the past; they are essential for our future. Forests are a natural ally in adapting to and fighting against climate change and will play a vital role in making Europe the first climate neutral continent by 2050. Protecting forest ecosystems also lessens the risk of zoonotic diseases and global pandemics. A healthy future for people, planet and prosperity therefore depends on ensuring healthy, biodiverse, and resilient forests across Europe and the world.

Research in action

Forest ecosystems

• Smart information, governance and business innovations for sustainable supply and payment mechanisms for forest ecosystem services (InnoForESt aimed to spark a transformation of the European forest sector by steering policies and businesses towards an economically viable provision of the wide range of forest ecosystem services.
• The main strategic goal of the SINCERE project was to advance innovative mechanisms (IM), including novel policies and business models, that support the provision of forest ecosystem services across Europe and beyond, and to align them with a coordinated supportive policy framework in view of working towards a Europe-wide incentive system for forest ecosystem services.

Climate change’s impact on restoration

• INFORMA, CLIMB-FOREST, and OptFor-EU enhance science-based knowledge on EU forests, including old-growth forests and capacities to mitigate climate change.
• Eco2adapt develops the Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) framework, derived from Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), that harnesses biodiversity and ecosystem services to reduce vulnerability and build social-ecological resilience to climate change. The consortium works in Living Labs in Europe and China, in climate hotspots, and investigates how forest managers integrate disturbance and vulnerability into decision-making.
• OptFORESTS supports the protection and sustainable management of forest genetic resources of high interest for biodiversity, climate change adaptation, and forest reproductive materials. Diversity of forest genetic resources provides adaptive potential for tree species and populations to cope with climate change and future challenges.
• FORWARDS prototypes the ForestWard Observatory to provide (a) timely and detailed information on European forests’ vulnerability to climate change, (b) science-based knowledge to guide management using the principles of climate-smart forestry, ecosystem restoration, and biodiversity preservation, and (c) stakeholder engagement and public participation in decision-making processes.

Boosting the forest-based bioeconomy with sustainability in mind

• BASAJAUN and Build-in-Wood develop and test new technologies and environmentally friendly solutions for the use of wood-based materials in the (re)construction and/or retrofitting of buildings.

They place emphasis on digitalisation to train stakeholders along the forest value chain to dispense knowledge for effective wood mobilisation. The INCREdible thematic Network addresses the existing research and innovation knowledge divide in relation to Non-Wood Forest Products (NWFP)-service systems in the Mediterranean basin.

Sustainable forestry management in EIP-AGRI

• Forest biomass
• New forest practices and tools for adaptation and mitigation of climate change
• Agroforestry: introducing woody vegetation into specialised crop and livestock systems