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European Forests: Tackling Climate Change

Description

It is estimated that EU forests and the forest-based sector currently contribute to overall climate change mitigation by absorbing about 13% of the EU’s total emissions. In order to maximize the potential of forests to regulate climate, they must be actively and professionally managed to make them “climate fit”.
Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) aims to provide biomass, timber, non-wood resources and other ecosystem functions and services, which can lower greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to adaptation. Forests that are managed sustainably and with a multifunctional focus today will maintain their potential to fulfill their relevant ecological, economic and social functions well into the future.

This booklet presents SFM practices (as Case Studies in selected Member States) implemented in European state forests to cope with climate change impacts, with the aim to demonstrate that European state forest organizations are aware of the challenges posed by climate change and have already taken various practical actions to address them. This booklet will enhance understanding of how Europe’s forests can help to accomplish the ambitious objectives of the EU Green Deal and make Europe climate neutral and future fit. In the face of the growing scale of the impact of climate change on forests, both the Member States and the EU must urgently consider mobilizing relevant public support to assist SFMOs in their efforts. This must be done within the Green Deal framework and, more precisely, through the new EU Forest Strategy.

An executive summary is also available here

Reference information

Contributor:
European State Forest Association (EUSTAFOR)

Published in Climate-ADAPT May 03 2021   -   Last Modified in Climate-ADAPT Mar 05 2024

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