New forest practices and tools for adaptation and mitigation of climate change

Which new practices and tools can improve the climate mitigation and adaptation potential of EU forests?

The final report of this Focus Group has been published. 

Get all the information at a glance in the factsheet on Forest practices and climate change.

Tasks:

• Identify the main challenges and opportunities posed by changing climate patterns for sustainable forest management in the EU.
• Identify new practices and tools that maintain or increase the carbon sequestration potential of EU forests in the long term while keeping  their multifunctional role.
• Identify the needs of forest managers in relation with adaptation to changing climate patterns in the EU. This may involve identifying questions requiring research and innovation, as well as the most promising adaptation practices that may answer to these needs, while maintaining the multifunctional role of forests, e.g. by selecting tree species, provenances and varieties or specific sustainable forest management practices.
• Identify new practices and tools (including the use of digital technologies) that contribute to improving resilience of forests ecosystems to extreme weather events such as droughts, forest fires, storms and heavy snowfall, considering all the actors involved in managing the risks resulting from more frequent extreme events.
• Analyse possible synergies and trade-offs between mitigation and adaptation practices.
• Provide examples of relevant practices and identify tools for sharing information about practices to improve mitigation and adaptation of forests, and synergies with other sectors such as agriculture.
• Propose potential innovative actions to stimulate the knowledge and use of management practices and strategies for improving EU forest's mitigation and adaptation potential and providing inspiration and ideas for Operational Groups and other innovative projects.
• Identify remaining research and innovation needs coming from practice associated to the potential of EU forests for mitigation and adaptation.