With this second FoRISK webinar on the topic of drought, “Drought Adaptation of Forests in Europe – Practical Strategies,” FOREST EUROPE, in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), continues the journey to delve into measures we might take at regional, national or international level to support Europe’s forests to adapt to drought, to unravel the science behind these recommendations and provide practical guidance on the measures.

Extreme drought event in Central Europe in 2018: Its impact on beech forests and their recovery

The first presentation by Ansgar Kahmen, Professor of Physiological Plant Ecology and Head of the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Basel, Switzerland, focused on the results of his research on the extreme drought in Central Europe in 2018 and its devastating impact on forest trees. In particular, the vulnerability of European beech was discussed, but also whether recovery is possible. First, he explained that 2018 cannot be considered an isolated event, but is part of a trajectory towards a hotter and dryer climate. Six of the nine hottest summers of the past 120 years occurred in the last decade.

Since the 1980s, an increasing evaporative demand in the atmosphere has been observed, accompanied by a progressive decline in tree health. In beech trees, increasing crown damage became visible, which became even more severe after the extreme years of 2003 and 2018. Measurements of hydraulic conductivity in 2018 showed that vascular transport in beech trees was reduced or interrupted by up to 80%, and had been causing canopy decline. The higher susceptibility of beech compared to oak or maple can be explained by the differences in the rooting depth of the tree species: beech has only a shallow rooting system and is the first to run out of water.

But what about recovery? Severe symptoms of canopy defoliation were also present in the following year, in spring 2019, and thereafter. It was found that hydraulic conductivity had not been restored in symptomatic branches and that the amount of intact conducting tissue (or xylem area), directly relates with the foliage area of a branch. Drought is causing partial and irreversible loss of hydraulic conductivity, and without a fully developed canopy, the risk for tree mortality is increasing. He concluded his talk with an appeal to reason that, given the unceasing trend towards a new, warmer climate, we better study the acclimation and adaptation potential to future climate, rather than trying to understand a tree’s recovery potential to a past climate.

How to choose climate-adapted tree species and compositions for future mixed forest stands

The webinar continued with a presentation by Heidi Döbbeler, forest scientist at the Northwest German Forest Research Station (NW-FVA), working in the department of Forest Growth on the development of a decision support tool for hessian forest owners. The project “Maps for climate risk and forest development types as an improved consulting foundation for new challenges for Hessian forest owners” is part of the integrated climate protection plan and funded in collaboration with the state-owned forest and the German Forest Owners Association by the ministry of Hesse in Germany.

In Hesse, a temperature rise from 15.4 to 17.3 °C is expected, which will increase evapotranspiration but also extend the growing season. Accompanied by a decrease in precipitation during summer, this will have a negative impact on the climatic water balance and, thus, on the water available for plants during the growing season. In addition to these regional climatic data, information on soil property is a prerequisite for calculating the site-specific water balance, which is an important indicator of drought stress for trees under future climatic conditions at a given forest site in Hesse.

In a next step, tree species and their potential role in the future were categorized according to their tolerance to drought stress depending on the site water balance. The categories were defined as leading, mixed, accompanying, or excluded tree species. As an example, even if European beech will have problems in Hesse in the future and its distribution will be limited as a result, it will still remain part of the forest. Recommendations for forest development types (FDT) for mixed forests were compiled by intersecting ecograms of leading and mixed tree species. As an example, the oak-beech/hornbeam FDT consists of 80-60 % oak, 20-10 % beech, and 10% accompanying other tree species. 32 FDTs have been defined and include information on management practices, their socio-economic potential and closeness to nature. Every forest owner in Hesse is provided with site-specific recommendations and can freely access the information via a web portal or mobile application. Under the assumption that disturbances have a species or structure-specific effect, facing them by mixed, site-adapted, and structurally rich forests will reduce the susceptibility of forests and instead increase stability and resilience.

Potential of thinning to increase drought tolerance

Following was a presentation by Julia Schwarz, working at the Swiss Federal Research Institute as a researcher for silviculture and climate change and expert in the field of ecology and management of forest ecosystems. She provided insights into whether thinning can offer an adaptation strategy to drought. While long-term adaptation approaches aim at creating structurally and species-rich mixed forests in the future, short- to medium-term adaptation approaches must work with the existing forest stand and thinning might be a way of adaptation to drought stress.

Thinning reduces the amount of trees per area and thereby promotes the growth and vitality of the remaining trees by reducing the competition for natural resources, such as light, water, and nutrients. Thinning regimes may vary in intensity, frequency, by the age of the trees and the type applied (e.g. crown thinning). The short-term impacts at the stand level have been found to range from positive effects on the water balance due to fewer trees and less leaf area, lower evapotranspiration and higher soil moisture to negative effects due to an increased understory growth, increasing solar radiation and higher soil evaporation. At tree level, trees have more space, increased fine root growth with no change in transpiration or increasing transpiration. In medium terms, trees have been found to increase their crowns, their overall root system, the water extraction capacity and their growth rates. At stand level this means that evapotranspiration is reduced after thinning only for a short period of time before it returns to pre-thinning levels.

But can the advantages of thinned stands outweigh the disadvantages of un-thinned stands during drought? What are the effects on tree growth during and after drought? Clear answer: thinning can mitigate drought-induced growth decline and mortality due to higher soil water availability and water extraction capacity during moderate droughts, while trees in denser stands experience drought earlier and more extreme. But during an extreme event where soil water is depleted thinning will have no effect. Thinning effects are highly dependent on drought severity. She concluded her presentation with the recommendation for regular, moderate thinnings that will contribute to mitigating growth decline and mortality during moderate droughts.

Pine and mistletoe– insights from Poland and Switzerland

Concluding the presentations were Andreas Rigling, Professor of Forest Growth at ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Research Institute, with his presentation “The impact of mistletoe on Scots pine performance in a dryer future” together with Wojciech Kędziora, assistant professor at the Institute of Forest Sciences at Warsaw University of Life Sciences and his presentation “Problem with mistletoe in Poland.”

Mistletoes are hemiparasitic plants, well known for using the host’s water supply for their own photosynthetic capacity. When growing on a thriving host plant, they can get as old as 30 years. In central Europe Scots pine is a known host tree. In the host tree, the infection causes a reduced growth rate of branches, and with increasing infection numbers, branch diameter, and length, but also needle length and age, have been found to be negatively affected until even crown architecture and assimilation capacity are affected.

But what if a tree’s water balance is put under additional pressure by drought stress? While trees are able to reduce their water loss by closure of their stomata during a drought event, the mistletoes continue to transpire, thereby increasing the tree’s drought stress. With increasing infection numbers, differences in growth are exacerbated, causing defoliation, growth decline and a reduction in carbon assimilation up to 80%, and finally, increasing significantly the risk of tree mortality in combination with drought stress.

On the positive side, mistletoes not only indirectly contribute to reshaping forests in structure and tree species composition in the long term but also directly improve soil nutrient availability due to their nutrient-rich litter.

In Poland, mistletoe has only recently gained higher attention, and only after 2015-18 has it been perceived as a major problem. To assess the extent of the forests, ground-based monitoring programs were started, but were soon found to be greatly underestimating the actual infection numbers on trees. Most of the mistletoes are growing in the middle of the tree, which is not visible from the ground. The observation has been that mistletoes prefer older stands, stands with lower soil fertility, taller trees with sparse crowns, and more likely to appear at forest edges. There is great hope in the use of drones for inventory programs, but really, only a few management options are available. While pruning, thinning, or clear-cutting promise only limited success, long-term strategies will rely on rebuilding the forests with more diverse tree species compositions. Wider discussions between forest owners, forest industry, management, and public society, as well as cross-border communication, are needed.

Cross-border communication and sharing of experiences is going to be the core business of a future FoRISK. This webinar gave an outlook on a future FoRISK in action that promotes cross-border exchange and cooperation. Here, you can find all the presentations shared during the webinar.

The recording of the event can be found here:

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Relevant topics we will cover in this second webinar on the topic of drought stress are:

• Look at the extreme drought event in 2018 in Central-Europe and its devastating impact on beech forests and discuss about recovery from drought stress.
• Secondly, introduce a decision support tool used in Germany for providing forest owners with science-based choices for future mixed forest stands.
• Look at the positive effects thinnings have on drought tolerance of forests, minimizing vulnerability to drought of existing forests in the short term.
• Talk about pine and mistletoe, the latest scientific insights on the parasitic relationship, and measures taken by forest management in Switzerland and Poland.

This webinar is open to everyone interested and is part of the FOREST EUROPE’s “From the roots to the canopy” series, this time organized in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research (WSL).

See the agenda here.

Register here and participate!

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The FoRISK pilot was running from September 2022 to December 2023 with a focus on three specific forest damage agents (wildfires, spruce bark beetle, and windstorms) based on the selection of FOREST EUROPE’s signatories and observers. Tools for optimized cross-border information and knowledge exchange and capacity building, public communication, and recommendations for practitioners and policymakers were developed and tested during this period. The evaluation report investigated on the feasibility, usefulness, impact, effectiveness, and efficiency of the FoRISK pilot and its output.

This report is the final milestone of the FoRISK pilot and will help us promote the full-scale launch of FoRISK at the Ministerial Conference in October 2024.

For the full report, click here.

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(Download this document here.)

We are living in times of drastic changes challenging forests all over Europe.

Our forests are facing disturbances that are increasing in severity, scale, and frequency due to climate change, thus leading to rapidly advancing tree mortality and canopy loss in Europe. Moreover, disturbance events are becoming increasingly complex as different and sometimes emerging disturbances are linked, occur simultaneously, or reinforce each other, exacerbating the current challenges at the national and regional levels. The unprecedented forest damages all over Europe require rethinking and constant analysis of adaptation strategies and approaches to enhance the resilience of forests, landscapes, and society.

So, what do we mean by resilience? Resilience indicates the ability of a system to absorb or withstand changes and disturbance while also maintaining important ecosystem processes and functions. Since 2018, an increase in the disturbance frequency has been observed, and it is likely that forests in Europe may no longer be able to recover from or absorb the damage. The impact on society and the loss of essential ecosystem services and functions that forests provide (e.g., carbon sequestration, healthy soil, drinking water, and wood products) could be irreversible. Therefore, when dealing with resilience in forests and landscapes, we need a holistic approach that considers societal needs, the entire value chain of the forest process, and ecosystem integrity and conservation.

Increasing resilience through SFM practices could provide a way out of the combined climate and biodiversity crisis our forests face.

We may not be able to prevent the disturbances, but every crisis is also an opportunity to transform forests into more resilient ecosystems with enhanced biodiversity. SFM and the integration of nature conservation in active forest management practices have proven successful all over Europe. SFM is a dynamic concept, able to be adapted to changes, and remains the conceptual backbone for the future of European forests. Increasing forest resilience through SFM practices will be instrumental in reinforcing and maintaining the adaptive capacity of forest landscapes and their ability to cope with the tremendous speed and pressure that climate change effects exert on them.

Enhancing forest resilience in Sustainable Forest Management practices includes:

• Pro-active management to prevent and prepare for forest disturbances and mitigate future impacts, for example, by increasing the diversity of tree species, structures, and management methods to create more diverse forests and landscapes to face an uncertain future. Considering most climate-adapted provenances and tree species can be taken up as an option. From the perspective of genetic sciences, it’s important to note that these may not necessarily be native species. Therefore, in shaping future species mixes to enhance resilience against potential disturbances, it’s essential also to consider tested non-native species.
• Comprehensive recovery approaches need to combine forest restoration and climate change adaptation at the same time. In addition, we need to consider different dimensions from the smaller to the larger scale; forests need to be managed as part of the landscape and become an integrative part of landscape restoration concepts.
• Not only do forests and forest management need to become resilient, but also forest value chains and society. With increasing and competitive demands for forest products and services, we must ensure that forest resources and services are put to the best possible use and strike the right balance. This requires developing new technologies and products, well-trained, informed, and receptive personnel as well as efficient communication strategies.
• We need more science to inform decision-makers and practitioners and implement more effectively. There is an increasing need for monitoring disturbances and early warning systems to improve our understanding of forest risks. More research on unmanaged areas should be conducted to comprehend natural adaptation processes better.
• Private forest owners often face new and seemingly insurmountable challenges that may force them to abandon their land. Providing assistance and training to landowners needs to go beyond subsidies and regulatory frameworks; it is necessary to understand their values and objectives while developing policies and increasing awareness.

The need to act on the climate and biodiversity crisis together is growing, requiring international and coordinated actions.

Countries face different challenges at different times, and priorities regarding risk management differ. Climate change and biodiversity loss do not respect borders, and urgency is an issue; solutions must be developed by joining forces, always keeping the country’s differences in mind. As there is “no one-size-fits-all,” locally adapted solutions need to be elaborated, with the transparent involvement of different interest groups.

Several participants highlighted the urgency of strengthening cross-border collaboration and transparent dialogues through a FOREST EUROPE Forest Risk Facility (FoRISK). Such pan-European cooperation platform on risk prevention and management is currently being examined by the FOREST EUROPE’s signatories and envisaged to be adopted at the 9th Ministerial Conference on 1-2 October 2024 (further information on the Ministerial decision under preparation can be obtained from the Liaison Unit Bonn upon request).

This discussion prepared the ground for further investigation of the relationship and potential synergies between the two concepts of SFM and resilience building.

The post Take-home messages from the High-Level Talks 2023 first appeared on FOREST EUROPE.

This workshop, “Living with storms – towards resilience and adaptation to forest disturbances,” is part of FOREST EUROPE’s work towards the implementation of a pan-European Forest Risk Facility (FoRISK) to support forest adaptation to changing climatic and site conditions as well as to enhance the resilience and mitigation potential of forests at a pan-European level. For further details and material, please also visit FoRISK’s website.

During the workshop, experts from 15 countries had the chance to become part of a network, establish strong partnerships across pan-Europe that will help to prevent and better control future disturbances caused by storm events.

Lessons learned: How to mitigate windstorm damage on European forests?

While windstorms are rare events, damage caused by storms occurs suddenly and is measured by the volume of damaged timber; storms are considered the most devastating disturbance factor for forests.

Compared to most other risk factors in the forest, large-scale windthrows and wind breakages also have some special characteristics:

• Windstorms not only create highly concentrated accumulations of large volumes of wood but also represent a high risk of injury and accidents for forest workers.
• In addition, the effects of storms often extend beyond the forested areas and can also impair infrastructure (roads and energy supply) and, therefore, require close coordination with civil protection measures.
• Since windstorms are rare and rarely hit the same region twice (fortunately), experience and empirical knowledge may be missing in such situations.

Some of the solutions presented include:

• Mitigating the risk for storm damage in forests by proactive sustainable forest management and improving forest resilience, including e.g., promoting mixed forest stands, improving individual (needle) tree stability by thinning measures, or active top height limitation.
• Development of comprehensive national and regional crisis management plans, including measures for prevention, preparedness, response and recovery, and creating the legal framework for implementing these concepts already before the next storm event.
• Inclusive stakeholder dialogue to raise awareness and create acceptance for storm adaptive measures in forest management.
• Asking for help by establishing and maintaining long-term cooperation across country borders and regions.

For more detailed recommendations, read here our policy brief on the topic.

Building a vision for cooperation and networking in the field of risk and crisis management across Europe:

It cannot be stressed enough that extreme weather events will inevitably become more frequent and severe in the near future due to climate change. As a consequence the damage in Europe’s forests will exacerbate with a negative impact on the economy, society, for the environment, and nature. Therefore, already today, policy and practice have to prepare for these uncertainties in future forests and adapt management strategies.

Climate change will lead to new, unprecedented damage situations or cause damage in yet unaffected areas and disturbances will not halt at country borders. Networking across countries will be of even greater importance for crisis management. However, today still numerous information and collaboration gaps exist across borders but also between forest-related sectors, e.g., at the science-policy-practice interface. During the workshop, success factors at national and international levels have been identified to overcome these gaps.

At national level, it all starts with the definition of a common goal across sectors and the identification and involvement of all relevant actors and stakeholders (individuals or organizations). This also includes the development of communication strategies tailored to the specific needs of different actors. Shared leadership will secure a strong sense of co-responsibility. At international level, regular engagement in cooperation is needed to maintain contacts and renew networks also at times of no crisis. Structural stability and long-term solutions are necessary for effective and efficient pan-European disaster risk management.

For a more detailed analysis of the success factors, read our policy brief on the topic (soon available).

A future FoRISK could fulfill these tasks and would oversee events and developments of regional, national and pan-European importance, keep information flowing, act as a first entry point for new and existing partners and connect the networks at national and pan-European levels. The signatories and observers of FOREST EUROPE strongly support the full-scale launch of the Forest Risk Facility during the 9th Ministerial Conference in Bonn in 2024. Currently, a Ministerial decision for the set-up of FoRISK and a technical annex describing the Terms of Reference of FoRISK, including the future working modalities (administrative set-up and funding structure) in more detail, are under development.

From FOREST EUROPE, we would like to thank all participants, co-organizers, and all involved speakers for their support and valuable insights provided.

The post Living with windstorms in pan-European forests first appeared on FOREST EUROPE.

This event has been created to react to emerging issues related to forests and the forest-based sector. The HLPD is an open and informal dialogue that provides a space to promote synergies in the pan-European region and beyond. Ministers (Cem Özdemir, German Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture will give a welcome speech), General Directors (e.g., María Jesús Rodríguez de Sancho from Spain, Michael Reinhard from Switzerland), other national representatives (e.g., Stefanie Schmitz from DG Environment representative), as well as high-level representatives of observer countries and organizations (e.g., Juha Niemela EUSTAFOR President, Technische Universität München, Boris Erg, Director of IUCN European Regional Office), will be present in Berlin and will be brought together with the online audience to discuss and learn from each other.

This platform will be an essential milestone for preparing the FOREST EUROPE 9^th Ministerial Conference in 2024 and ministerial documents.

The event will have two consecutive panel discussions where director generals and other participants can interact directly with high-level speakers. To set the scene, renowned scientists will present a science-policy brief and summarize the state of the art in research.

High-level international speakers will have the space to present their experiences and national examples of Sustainable Forest Management and resilience in forests from an environmental, social, and economic perspective. There will be space for interaction with the participants in Berlin and the online audience on both panels.

Stay tuned and check all the details on the event website

The post Growing Healthier Forests: How can Sustainable Forest Management enhance resilience? first appeared on FOREST EUROPE.

Therefore, FOREST EUROPE recently organized a three-day workshop on “Managing biotic threats in forests – lessons learned from bark beetle calamities” (see programme here) in Breznice, Czech Republic, jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, the Forest Management Institute (UHUL), and the Forestry and Game Management Research Institute of the Czech Republic (FGMRI). This event is part of FOREST EUROPE’S work toward the establishment of a pan-European Forest Risk Facility (FoRISK).

During the workshop, experts from 16 countries gathered to exchange good and bad experiences of bark beetle management in Europe, aiming to prevent and better prepare for future outbreaks of bark beetles and other biotic threats.

Different countries are facing different challenges:

In the first session, insights from the UK (Max Blake, Forest Research – Alice Holt Lodge UK) gave an idea on the ability of spruce bark beetles to spread over distances of 300-400 km, being blown over from outbreak areas in Belgium and France to the south-east of England. Spruce bark beetles are a non-native forest pest in the UK, and strict eradication protocols apply if an outbreak of this invasive species is detected. Gernot Hoch (BfW Austrian Research Centre for Forests) presented on the new and unexpected developments of spruce bark beetle outbreaks in natural spruce forests at higher elevations in Austria. Recently, higher temperatures have allowed for two beetle generation and population dynamics of unusual intensity also at higher elevations. The cooler climate in Finland and Norway has yet prevented the establishment of large-scale breeding populations of the spruce bark beetle, as presented by Tiina Ylioja (Luke – Natural Resources Institute Finland) and Paal Krokene (NiBio – Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research). But also, these northern countries are preparing for more intense outbreak seasons due to increasing temperatures and are running national monitoring programs and setting-up preparedness plans. For some countries, the worst is likely still ahead, and we need more workshops connecting countries with different levels of experience and fostering cooperation.

Participants from Bulgaria (Petya Dimitrova-Mateva, Executive Forest Agency Bulgaria), Ukraine (Kateryna Davydenko, Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry & Forest Melioration), and from the Czech Republic (Jan Lubojacký, Forestry, and Game Management Research Institute Czech Republic) also presented on bark beetle damages in pine forests. It is important for any management guideline to consider that different biotic and abiotic disturbance agents can also interact and result in further weakened tree stands. Bark beetle gaps in forest stands could create vulnerable edges that could also have cascading impacts, i.e., further facilitate the risk of increased wind disturbance.

Disturbances are interrelated and disturbance management has to consider the whole risk cycle:

The next session continued in this direction but also provided guidance for forest management in an uncertain future. Interrelations with other forest disturbances are possible at any time during a bark beetle outbreak – before (predisposition because of recent storm or drought events), during, or after (potentially flammable material of dead wood increasing the risk for fire). Eventually, one has to remember that after the disturbance is before the next disturbance, as Marcus Lindner (EFI Bonn) also reminded the participants during his presentation. He also highlighted that disturbance risk management should consider the full disaster risk management cycle with proactive and reactive management measures for prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.

Marcus Lindner from the European Forest Institute.

The same rules apply for disturbances due to extreme climatic events, as participants learned in the presentation of Nenad Petrovic (University of Belgrade) on the severe damages of the Ice Break event in Serbia in 2014 and the regeneration process after almost ten years. Forest management strategies that ignore the uncertainties associated with climate change are unlikely to meet future expectations. Restoration of post-calamity areas was also the topic of Jan Leugner’s (Forestry and Game Management Research Institute Czech Republic) presentation. Large areas of bark beetle calamities often result in large areas of thickets (young forest stands) in the next decade from planting or natural regeneration of trees. Dissemination of new knowledge and experiences is of the utmost importance to avoid loss of species admixtures, loss of stability, and overall functionality of the ecosystems of the next forest generation.

Subsequently, the participants were introduced to the policy brief “Managing bark beetle outbreaks in the 21st Century” by the author Tomas Hlasny (Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague). This short and concise brief with recommendations for policymakers emphasizes that resilience thinking when adopted in policy and management frameworks, will help deal with increasing risks and enable us to see natural disturbances also as opportunities for creating new, resilient forests to adapt and recover from future shocks more efficiently. The policy brief also comes with a toolbox addressing the full disaster risk management cycle that can be directly implemented in national crisis plans. (Policy brief and a short summary video on the policy brief will be available soon).

In the afternoon of the second day, a field trip was organized for the participants in the southwestern Brdy Mountains with demonstrations of forest sites in the state and privately owned forests affected by spruce bark beetles at large-scale and measures taken to deal with the damage and for restoration explained. It was organized in cooperation with the Military Forests and Estates of the Czech Republic and the Forest Administration of the Archbishopric of Prague.

Risk management for forest disturbances: what is needed – towards FoRISK and international cooperation

During the last day, participants had a chance to learn about the activities of FAO on the management of bark beetle outbreaks from a global perspective by Shiroma Sathyapala (FAO), the initiative to establish a nationwide forest damage database in cooperation with the federal states in Germany at the new Institute for Forest Protection and the vision to extend it to pan-Europe by Henrik Hartmann ( Julius Kuehn-Institute for Cultivated Plants). Strengthening international cooperation for risk management is the idea behind the pan-European forest risk facility (FoRISK). FoRISK’s role will be to provide information about transboundary problems, get the leading countries involved, and enable local exchange. It should further be a platform for communication between science, policy, and practitioners. These were some of the results of a group work activity wherein the present experts were asked to provide feedback on the achievements of the FoRISK pilot so far and give guidance on further work before the Ministerial conference in Bonn 2024 makes a decision on the continuation of the FoRISK.

From FOREST EUROPE, we would like to thank all participants, co-organizers, and all involved speakers for their support and valuable insights provided, including also presentations on the experiences with spruce bark beetle from Germany (Ralf Petercord, Ministry of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, North Rhine-Westphalia), Czech Republic (Vit Sramek and Milos Knizek, Forestry and Game Management Research Institute), Poland (Kamil Szpakowski, General Directorate of State Forests Poland) and Lithuania (Glazko Zbignev, Ministry of Environment Lithuania). We hope to continue with this important work to safeguard the future of our forests.

The post Bark beetle outbreaks in forests: a pan-European view first appeared on FOREST EUROPE.

Hotel Steigenberger in Dresden, where the ELM was held.

Rapid Response Mechanism: supporting the Ukrainian forest sector and its forests

The ELM acknowledged the full implementation of the Ministerial Decision to support the Ukrainian forest sector and its forests from August 2022, which was created within FOREST EUROPE’s rapid response mechanism to react to emerging issues of relevance. The ELM recognized the importance of Ukraine’s forests and the challenges they face due to the war and demonstrated a strong commitment to helping the country in recovering. ELM’s delegates also agreed to a smooth transfer of the work to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to ensure continued support and cooperation in the region.

Silvia Abruscato introducing the High-Level Policy Dialogue 2023.

The 2^nd High-Level Policy Dialogue on Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and resilience

The ELM delegates supported the organization of the 2^nd High-Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD), which will be held in Berlin on November 9, 2023, providing a platform for policymakers, experts, practitioners, forest owners, students, researchers, and interested stakeholders to discuss how SFM can maintain and enhance forest resilience, from an environmental, social, and economic perspective. With a hybrid meeting format, the event aims to harness high-level speakers’ collective knowledge and experience to chart a path to a more sustainable future. Stay tuned to our social media for updates, or visit talks.foresteurope.org.

Slovakia, Sweden, and Switzerland were very active in the discussions.

Think Tank on the dynamic concept of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM)

The presentation of the ongoing efforts of the Think Tank about SFM highlighted the need to address gaps in current policy developments and emphasized the importance of developing tools and instruments to enhance SFM. The ELM recognized its relevance as a core activity of FOREST EUROPE. Additionally, forest monitoring was emphasized as a synergistic approach, and the importance of creating new narratives on SFM as a dynamic concept was underscored. The delegates’ opinion reinforces the significance of these efforts and sets the stage for future progress in SFM, monitoring, and reporting.

Yana Vikhtiuk (UA) and Tomasz Markiewicz (PL).

Preparations for the 9th Ministerial Conference in 2024

The meeting concluded with discussions on the preparations for the upcoming 9th Ministerial Conference (9MC), scheduled for October 1-2, 2024, near Bonn, Germany. As a significant event during the FOREST EUROPE signatory’s term, the conference represents the decision-making body of the process and marks the end of the German chairmanship. Ministers of signatory countries, renowned experts, and high-level representatives from observers’ organizations from the pan-European region will convene to discuss strategies and actions shaping the future of our forests. One key goal is to make the SFM concept fit for the future and to establish a Forest Risk Facility (FoRISK), to address forest risks, like climate change, forest fires, and biodiversity loss.

Green Jobs and Forest Education developments

The report on Green Jobs and Forest Education emphasized involving future generations and addressing challenges in shaping innovative pathways. Engaging policymakers is crucial in finding collaborative solutions to these challenges. The benefits and shortage of skilled personnel associated with Green Jobs and Forest Education were acknowledged, and the ELM offered guidance for future efforts in green job development and forest education.

Field trip on the second day after the conference

After being in a meeting room, an exciting field excursion took place to delve into the practical application of SFM in the State forests of Saxony, followed by a visit to the esteemed Campus Tharandt, one of the oldest forestry educational institutions worldwide, established in 1811.

Excursion to the Tharandt forest.

What have we learned?

It is important to maintain the momentum and build on the results of this meeting. Collaborative efforts, sound policy frameworks, and proactive measures are critical to achieving the vision of SFM for the benefit of current and future generations. The ELM demonstrated what can be achieved when nations, international organizations, and NGOs join in their pursuit of a more sustainable future.

Chris Quine (UK) and Helga Pülzl (EFI).

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The workshop is part of FOREST EUROPEs work towards the implementation of a pan-European forest risk knowledge facility (FoRISK) to support forests adaptation to changing climatic and site conditions as well as to enhance the resilience and mitigation potential of forests at a pan-European level.

The post Joint Workshop | Living with storms: towards resilience and adaptation to forest disturbances first appeared on FOREST EUROPE.

Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic and FOREST EUROPE are organizing a joint workshop in order to exchange knowledge on the best practices and allow for the adoption and transfer of innovative solutions while establishing cooperation and strong partnerships across pan-Europe to prevent and better control biotic threats such as bark beetle outbreaks.

The workshop is part of FOREST EUROPE’s work towards the implementation of a pan-European Forest Risk Knowledge Facility (FoRISK) to support forest’s adaptation to changing climatic and site conditions as well as to enhance the resilience and mitigation potential of forests at a pan-European level.

Check here the programme of the workshop.

Preliminary Agenda

This joint workshop is scheduled to take place from May 30 to June 1 2023 in Breznice, Czech Republic, and will be hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic.

30 May 2023

–  Arrival of Participants

–  Transfer to the venue from Prague airport/city center

–  Small refreshment

–  Seminar and discussion

–  Welcome dinner

31 May 2023

–  Seminar and discussion

–  Lunch

–  Excursion

–  Dinner

01 June 2023

–  Wrap up session

–  Lunch

–  Transfer to Prague Airport with an estimated arrival at 14:30.

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