European Forests

The European Commission adopted (1 March 2010) a Green Paper which sets out options for a European Union approach to the protection of forests and to information about forest resources and their condition. Responses to the Green Paper from the public, Member States, EU institutions and other stakeholders will guide the Commission on whether additional action is needed at EU level.The Green Paper sets out the main challenges facing Europe's forests. It presents existing forest information systems and the tools available to protect forests, and raises a series of questions relevant to the development of future policy options. The...

The mid-term evaluation of the EU Forest Action Plan was presented at the 112th meeting of the Standing Forestry Commission (11-12 December 2009). The evaluation report has recently been made available on the DG Agriculture web-site. The study contains both an inventory of the implementation of the 18 Key Actions of the EU Forest Action Plan and an evaluation of its relevance, effectiveness, efficiency. It contains recommendations for the EU Forest Action Plan in the period until 2011.This study, financed by the European Commission, was undertaken by the European Forest Institute in cooperation with the University of Natural Resources and...

At the meeting of European ministers in the Agriculture and Fisheries Council (15 December 2009), a discussion was held on the proposal for the Regulation laying down the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market. The legislation requires all operators placing timber on the EU market for the first time to minimise the risk that it is illegal by undertaking due diligence on their supply chains. The ministers rejected a proposal to ban the importing of illegal timber and timber products, and instead agreed on measures including stricter rules on the certification of timber entering...

Schulze et al. conducted a review of recent estimates of European carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide fluxes between 2000 and 2005, using both top-down estimates based on atmospheric observations, and bottom-up estimates derived from ground-based measurements. Climate change negotiations aim to reduce net greenhouse-gas emissions by encouraging direct reductions of emissions and crediting countries for their terrestrial greenhouse-gas sinks. Ecosystem carbon dioxide uptake has offset nearly 10% of European fossil fuel emissions, but not all of this may be creditable under the rules of the Kyoto Protocol. Although this treaty recognizes the importance of methane and nitrous oxide emissions,...

Land areas around the world totalling more than the size of Canada have been identified as having potential to be restored to good quality, healthy forests, a new study has found.As the global effort to help tackle climate change by reversing the alarming loss of forests steps up, scientists using sophisticated satellite mapping have produced a world map identifying areas in which more than a billion hectares of former forest land and degraded forest land has restoration potential. That is about 6% of the total land area of the planet, and restoring forests to some of these lands could be...

Forest Europe (previously known as MCPFE) has underscored the crucial role of European forests, particularly as a mitigating factor in climate change, during its Expert Level Meeting (November 24-25 2009). The meeting also emphasised the importance of protecting and enhancing the full range of goods and services associated with European forests. The policies and tools of Forest Europe protect and sustainably manage European forests and provide a healthy basis for biodiversity, plants and natural products. A legally binding agreement on forests in Europe is considered as one option for strengthening cooperation on forests throughout Europe.Forest Europe press releases (http://www.mcpfe.org/eng/Press/Press_Releases/) (2009/11/26)...

The MCPFE Expert Level Meeting (24-25 November 2009) decided that the political process, until now known as the MCPFE, should adopt the new brand name of Forest Europe. Processes and policies within the ministerial cooperation are still to be operated under the official name of the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe.Forest Europe press releases (http://www.mcpfe.org/eng/Press/Press_Releases/) (2009/11/26)

The report of the study Shaping forest communication in the European Union: public perceptions of forests and forestry was published in September 2009. To further investigate trends in public perception of forests and forestry, the purpose of the study is fivefold: (1) to provide the Commission with a thorough analysis of existing surveys about public perceptions on forests and forestry in the EU; (2) to find out the views of key stakeholders (forestry experts, government officials, NGOs, forest owners, etc.) with regard to public opinion on forests and forestry and gather inputs on how public understanding and communication on the...

The TEEB report for national and international policy makers was launched in Brussels on 13 November 2009. The new report, prepared by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) initiative hosted by the UN Environment Programme, calls on policy makers to accelerate, scale-up and embed investments in the management and restoration of ecosystems. The report demonstrates the value of ecosystems and biodiversity to the economy, to society and to individuals. It underlines the urgency of action, as well as the benefits and opportunities that will arise as a result of taking such action. The report outlines a ten-point plan...