Forest Products Industry

Europe’s forests are losing more biomass than previously thought, with disturbances such as drought and pests causing increasingly large losses from some of the oldest forests in Europe. This situation has deteriorated markedly since 2018. Source: European Space Agency These are the findings of a study published in Nature Geoscience. The research, which was supported by a European Space Agency (ESA) initiative, found that biomass losses increased sharply after 2018 as drought, windstorms and insect outbreaks increasingly affected some of central Europe’s oldest and most biomass-rich forests. The study was supported by the ESA Climate Change Initiative through its RECCAP-2 project, an international effort that uses satellite-based climate datasets to support the Paris Agreement’s Global Stocktake. For the first time, scientists have quantified how much biomass is lost from forest disturbances across Europe, rather than simply measuring the area affected. They found that, for each hectare of disturbed forest, 46% more biomass is being lost since 2018. Europe’s forests cover about 39% of its land area and store 10.6 billion tonnes of carbon in above-ground biomass, for example in their leaves, branches and trunks. This is one of Europe’s largest terrestrial carbon stocks. However, between 1985 and 2023, disturbances such as wildfires, pests and logging caused an estimated total of 6.5 billion tonnes of above-ground biomass to be lost across Europe, although a substantial share of these losses has since been offset by forest regrowth. For decades, scientists have assessed the impact of forest disturbances by measuring the area of land affected. But area alone does not accurately quantify biomass losses. A wildfire, for example, can sweep across a large area of open, shrubby Mediterranean woodland yet remove relatively little biomass, whereas a similar area of dense, mature forest would suffer far greater losses. This study is the first to measure not just where Europe’s forests were lost, but how much biomass disappeared along with them – across the whole continent and over a period of nearly four decades. “What surprised me most was how differently disturbances translate into biomass loss across Europe. Two events can look almost identical on a map yet have very different implications for the amount of carbon stored in forests. Until now we’ve largely been flying blind on that difference,” said Katja Kowalski, lead author of the paper and a postdoctoral researcher in the Earth Observation for Ecosystem Management group at the Technical University of Munich. The study combines two satellite records: annual maps of tree cover loss across Europe derived from the Landsat archive and a high-resolution biomass map for 2019, showing how much biomass each forest held per unit area. Overlaying the two, the team reconstructed how much biomass Europe’s forests have actually lost, year by year. The results reveal a clear break around 2018, when severe droughts affected countries across central Europe, notably Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland. The droughts left trees weaker and less able to defend themselves, triggering mass outbreaks of the European spruce bark beetle, which bores into the bark and can kill a mature tree within weeks. While logging accounted for about 82% of biomass loss between 1985 and 2023, the remaining 18% loss caused by natural disturbances drove the sharp rise since 2018. A second study, also supported by the RECCAP-2 project has produced complementary findings. Published in National Science Review, the study found that increasing loss and damage to forests is putting their role in climate change mitigation at risk. By combining national forest reports with satellite maps of disturbance and biomass, including the biomass dataset from ESA’s Climate Change Initiative, the team projected how Europe’s forest carbon sink is likely to evolve to 2030. They found that the capacity of European forests to absorb and store carbon is likely to have decreased by 39% in the period 2010 to 2030. This is due to disturbances that far outpace the ability of forests to naturally regrow and recover. “Europe can increase its forest area but still lose carbon sink capacity. The real question is whether growth and recovery can keep up with disturbances and harvest. Right now they can’t – and closing that gap means managing our forests differently, above all by harvesting less as natural disturbances keep rising,” said Philippe Ciais, from France’s Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences, co-author of the National Science Review study and overall science leader of ESA’s RECCAP-2 project.

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There’s an invisible world humming beneath our feet. Under forests, a vast network of fungal filaments connects the roots of trees – a subterranean road system for resources. Isotopic labelling experiments have proven that carbon does travel from one tree to another along these fungal highways, even between species that, on paper, are fierce competitors. Some studies suggest these carbon flows ramp up when a tree is in decline. Source: Futura Sciences This underground system, known as a mycorrhizal network, forms when the roots of two plants are colonized by the same fungus. The resulting mycorrhizae branch out in the earth, weaving a meshwork of hyphae – filaments that extend from the roots and sometimes connect entirely different species. Biologists have playfully dubbed this hidden life-support system the Wood Wide Web. The scale is dizzying: several hundred species of fungi can interact with a single tree, and a single fungus might connect 20 trees or more. Climate change is moving the goalposts for these relationships. As the planet warms, biodiversity is on the move, not just animals, but plants and entire forests. But will the fungi these trees depend on for survival be able to keep pace? Scientists are raising the alarm. As mycologist Marc-André Selosse of the Natural History Museum puts it, this relationship is about barter, not generosity. Trees supply fungi with sugars made through photosynthesis; fungi, in turn, improve trees’ access to water and minerals. Each partner gets something it desperately needs, this isn’t charity, it’s symbiosis. The Canadian researcher Suzanne Simard put all this on the scientific map back in 1997, publishing in Nature a landmark study documenting carbon transfer between trees via mycorrhizal networks under natural conditions. Her work shifted the focus of forest biology, which had until then zeroed in on competition for light and water, toward the possibility of cooperation. In the 1990s, isotope tracing experiments using enriched carbon dioxide on young birch and Douglas fir trees colonized by the same ectomycorrhizal fungus allowed researchers to quantify these exchanges. The measurements revealed two-way sharing, but with a net flow towards Douglas fir. The carbon received amounted to 10–25% of the fir tree’s photosynthetic output. In a similar experiment in Switzerland’s Jura forests, about 4% of the carbon compounds made by photosynthesis in one tree were transported to neighbours connected to the same ectomycorrhizal network. Within this underground web, mature trees that are strongly connected—sometimes called ‘mother trees’ hold a central spot. An old oak or Douglas fir can be tied into the network with hundreds of neighbours. Simard’s research at the University of British Columbia found that carbon transfers intensify during a large tree’s final days, with a share of its reserves ending up in neighbouring trees. But the picture isn’t as simple as a selfless bequest. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain these transfers, none of which involve intention on the part of the tree. The first explanation is physical: carbon moves much more efficiently through the fungal mycelium than it does via the surrounding raw soil, where it would otherwise be gobbled up and transformed by microbes. As a tree nears the end of its life, it gradually stops mobilizing its own reserves for growth. As its internal carbon sinks collapse, unused carbon follows the network’s gradients to still-active neighbours. A 2025 study in Plant Diversity adds another layer of complexity. When researchers artificially reduced the carbon available to a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), they saw a drop in root physiological activity, accompanied by a 110% increase in mycorrhizal colonization and a 340% increase in extramatrical hyphal length. In other words, when the tree struggled, its fungal partners ramped up their game. The upshot? This could suggest a fungal drive for survival more than any plant altruism. The fungus, keen to safeguard its own sugar supply from still-living trees, could be the middleman behind the so-called “final gift.” The practical effect on the ecosystem is the same, but the motive is strictly practical, not sentimental. The idea of trees selflessly supporting their kin is charming—but is it the full story? In 2023, Justine Karst, Melanie Jones, and Jason Hoeksema published an analysis in Nature Ecology & Evolution concluding that the real-world data is far thinner than public stories suggest, and that preliminary or heavily qualified results have often been cited as gospel truth. That same year, Nils Henriksson’s team cautioned in New Phytologist that isotope tracing methods, while fascinating, can sometimes lead to bold conclusions from tiny variations. There is no disagreement about the existence of mycorrhizae and their critical role in protecting and nourishing roots, nor about carbon circulation between plants. The debate boils down to the scale of these flows, the precise function of the network, and the real benefit for young trees. Still, these underground mechanisms help explain an old puzzle: seedlings often survive in deep forest shade, where photosynthesis alone ought to doom them. Something more is at work, a hidden helping hand from below. Deforestation, intensive farming, and the widespread use of chemicals disrupt or destroy these networks. Clear-cutting not only removes trees—it also dismantles the very infrastructure that supports resource sharing. A recent global map shines light on this immense hidden living network, revealing the dizzying scale of mycorrhizal fungi, plant allies that move billions of tons of carbon each year and could play a key role in climate regulation. There is no disagreement about the existence of mycorrhizae and their critical role in protecting and nourishing roots, nor about carbon circulation between plants. The debate boils down to the scale of these flows, the precise function of the network, and the real benefit for young trees. Still, these underground mechanisms help explain an old puzzle: seedlings often survive in deep forest shade, where photosynthesis alone ought to doom them. Something more is at work, a hidden helping hand from below.

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PEFC participated in the APEC Experts Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade (EGILAT) meeting in Shenzhen, China, reaffirming its commitment to advancing legal and sustainable timber trade across the Asia-Pacific region. Source: Timberbiz The EGILAT meeting was held alongside the sixth APEC Ministerial Meeting on Forestry, where forestry ministers and senior representatives from 21 APEC economies renewed their commitment to tackling illegal logging, expanding legal timber trade, and accelerating the adoption of digital technologies to strengthen timber traceability and market confidence. Ministers and senior representatives called for stronger action to protect the Asia-Pacific forests, warning that illegal logging, mangrove loss and rapid urban growth are putting one of the region’s greatest economic assets under pressure. Representing PEFC, APAC Market Development Manager Benson Yu delivered a presentation titled “PEFC: Shaping the Future of Sustainable Forest Management.” The presentation highlighted how PEFC certification supports legal timber trade through independently verified sustainable forest management, chain of custody certification, and robust due diligence solutions that help companies meet evolving regulatory and market requirements. Mr Yu also reaffirmed PEFC’s commitment to supporting EGILAT’s work in promoting legal and sustainable timber trade across the Asia-Pacific through continued collaboration, technical engagement, and knowledge sharing. As a long-standing observer to EGILAT, PEFC continues to contribute expertise on forest certification, traceability and responsible sourcing to support the group’s objectives. “China plays a pivotal role in global forest product supply chains. By working together through platforms such as EGILAT, we can strengthen market confidence, promote legal timber trade, and accelerate the transition towards more sustainable and resilient forest value chains,” Mr Yu said. The discussions at both the Ministerial Meeting and EGILAT recognised the increasing role of digital technologies – including artificial intelligence, DNA profiling and blockchain – in improving timber traceability and helping businesses demonstrate the legal origin of forest products. Ministers also highlighted the importance of practical tools such as the Timber Legality Guidance Template, developed through EGILAT, to assist businesses in navigating timber legality requirements across APEC economies. Illegal logging is estimated to account for 15–30% of the global timber trade, resulting in economic losses of approximately US$51 billion annually. Strengthening legal supply chains through credible certification, digital innovation and international cooperation remains essential to protecting forests, supporting responsible businesses and maintaining market confidence. PEFC looks forward to continuing its collaboration with APEC economies and EGILAT members to strengthen sustainable forest management, enhance timber legality, and promote resilient, transparent and responsible forest product supply chains throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

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