Forests are essential in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss; they are crucial for the prosperity of both rural areas and the bioeconomy. Unfortunately, European forests are affected by various factors, including climate change and unsustainable human activities.
Better forest monitoring will enable concrete measures to make forests more resilient to threats posed by pests, drought, and forest fires, which are 'exacerbated' by climate change. It will also allow for the introduction of new business models, such as carbon farming (carbon farming is successful when carbon benefits generated by improved land management and/or conservation practices exceed losses), and will help ensure compliance with adopted EU legislation. Finally, better monitoring will help strengthen the ability of forests to 'fulfil' their diverse environmental and socio-economic functions, including the importance of forests as natural carbon sinks.
More precise data, greater resilience, new economic opportunities
The monitoring system will allow for the timely collection and sharing of current and comparable data, obtained by using and combining earth observation technologies with ground-based measurements. Building on current national efforts, the system will provide more precise and clearer data and knowledge for decision-making and policy implementation, including up-to-date information on nature-induced disturbances and problem situations in forests across all member states.
Currently, the information available on the state of forests and the use of forest resources and services is scattered and incomplete; data on forests in the European Union are often outdated and obtained using different definitions and methods, resulting in significant information gaps. A comprehensive monitoring system will eliminate these discrepancies.
A unified system will help establish integrated forest management, ensuring cooperation between member states and encouraging them to develop long-term plans, taking into account all relevant policy dimensions and the multi-functionality of forests. This proposal does not introduce new direct administrative requirements for businesses or forest owners.
The system will provide economic benefits as it will help forest managers sell ecosystem services, such as carbon dioxide sequestration, in accordance with the EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework. Based on more reliable and accessible data, forest managers and owners will be able to develop new business opportunities that will provide additional income while expanding carbon farming and promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation. The new legislation will also promote new markets for digital monitoring service providers, including many innovative small and medium-sized enterprises and startups.
The proposal will support the implementation of other important legislation, such as the LULUCF Regulation, the Habitats and Birds Directives, the Deforestation Regulation, as well as the Carbon Removal Certification and the Nature Restoration Law, once these are adopted by the legislators.
In connection with the European Union Forest Strategy, the European Commission adopted a proposal for updated governance of EU forests; its goal is to create a new, inclusive, and interdisciplinary expert group from member states, which would have competence in all forestry and forest-related matters and would reflect all the environmental, social, and economic goals of the EU Forest Strategy.
Managing the increasing pressure on forests
The proposal has been developed taking into account the increasing pressure on forests. The Commission has published a report on forest fires in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa in 2022, which indicates that nearly 900,000 hectares burned in the EU last year—an area comparable to the territory of Corsica.
For the third consecutive year, unprecedented forest fires in the EU have caused major environmental and economic losses, as well as tragic human casualties. Although most fires (96%) were caused by human activity, they are exacerbated by heightened fire-risk conditions brought on by climate change. This is a warning sign of what global warming may cause in the coming years, as temperatures rise and droughts intensify in many European countries. The report indicates that preventative measures play a major role in reducing the frequency and impact of forest fires; modern knowledge is essential to ensure these measures.
Next steps
The European Parliament and the European Council will examine this proposal in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure.
Forests as an investment fund
Forests provide invaluable environmental, climate, and socio-economic benefits. They act as hubs for biodiversity and habitats, release oxygen and filter the air, regulate water flow, prevent erosion, and are indispensable for adapting to and mitigating the impact of climate change. They are the foundation for the transition to a climate-neutral Europe, a circular bioeconomy, and a healthy society. According to EC studies, extended forest value chains provide a range of raw materials, such as timber, food, medicinal plants, cork, and resins, currently providing 4.5 million jobs across the European Union.
However, the state of many EU forests is unfavourable. They are suffering from biodiversity loss and are being heavily impacted by climate change, which amplifies the effects of other destructive processes, such as pest outbreaks, pollution, and disease. Climate change also creates unprecedented conditions, such as prolonged periods of drought and heat, which could increase the scale and intensity of forest fires in the EU in the coming years. The consequences are increasingly affecting forest stability and productivity, while demand for forest products and services continues to grow.
Member state reports, submitted in accordance with the regulation on land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF), show that in several EU regions, the volume of forests as natural carbon sinks is decreasing. In some areas, forests have become a source of CO₂ emissions.
The European Union must strengthen the resilience of natural ecosystems, increase their ability to help us adapt to climate change, and maintain their productive capacity to ensure long-term and sustainable food and material security.
Current initiatives and their objectives are based on solutions offered by nature as our greatest ally in the fight against climate change. They will help the EU reach climate neutrality by increasing the amount of carbon absorbed by natural sinks. This will also help the EU meet its international commitments under both the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.