New EU afforestation and tree-planting guidelines promote adaptation

The European Commission has recently published the new 'Guidelines on Biodiversity-Friendly Afforestation, Reforestation and Tree Planting' with practical recommendations on how to take climate change into account when creating new forests, restoring existing forests or planting trees in in urban and rural environments. These guidelines support authorities, forest and landowners, managers and civil society to better implement biodiversity-friendly afforestation, reforestation and tree-planting projects at a local level.

Specifically, they support the European Green Deal commitment to improve the forested area of the EU both in quantity and quality. Through both active planting and natural regeneration, these guidelines constitute one of the key milestones to implement the 3 billion additional trees pledge of the EU by 2030. They address afforestation initiatives in agricultural land; reforestation actions in forest land, including restoration actions; and tree planting in urban and peri-urban environments, as well as agricultural land (agroforestry).

Read the Guidelines.