Green Paper on Forest Protection and Information in the EU: Preparing forests for climate change SEC(2010)163 final
Date: 2010-03-01
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: climate change, forest, forest conservation, forestry policy, information system, management of resources, natural disaster, sustainable development, wood industry

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 1.3.2010 
COM(2010)66 final 

GREEN PAPER 

On Forest Protection and Information in the EU:  
Preparing forests for climate change 

SEC(2010)163 final 

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GREEN PAPER 

On Forest Protection and Information in the EU:  
Preparing forests for climate change 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The purpose of this Green Paper is to launch the debate on options for a European 
Union  (EU)  approach  to  forest  protection  and  information  in  the  framework  of  the 
EU  Forest  Action  Plan,  as  announced  by  the  Commission  in  the  White  Paper 
"Adapting  to  Climate  Change:  towards  a  European  Framework  for  action"1.  The 
Council  conclusions  of  25  June  2009  on  this  White  Paper  underlined  that  climate 
change has had and will have an impact, inter alia, on forests. As these impacts will 
have  socio-economic  and  environmental  consequences,  it  is  opportune  to  prepare 
now  so  that  EU  forests  can  continue  to  perform  all  their  functions  under  changing 
climatic conditions. 

In  this  context,  forest  protection  in  the  EU  should  aim  at  ensuring  that  forests 
continue  to  perform  all  their  productive,  socio-economic  and  environmental 
functions in the future. 

Competence for forest policy lies primarily with the Member States, (MS) under the 
subsidiarity principle2. The role of the EU is limited and designed principally to add 
value to national forest policies and programs by: 

–  monitoring and possibly reporting on the state of EU forests, 

–  anticipating global trends and drawing MS' attention to emerging challenges and, 

–  proposing and possibly coordinating or supporting options for early action at EU 

scale. 

–  The debate launched by this paper should therefore focus on how climate change 
modifies  the  terms  of  forest  management  and  protection  in  Europe  and  how  the 
EU  policy  should  evolve  to  enhance  its  contribution  to  MS'  forest-related 
initiatives. What challenges do we face, how can the EU help address them, what 
are our additional information needs? 

Globally,  the  importance  of  protecting  forests  and  managing  them  sustainably  has 
been  acknowledged  since  the  United  Nations  Conference  on  Environment  and 
Development  in  1992  adopted  the  “Rio  forest  principles3”.  The  United  Nations 
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) recognizes the importance of 
forests  in  the  global  greenhouse  gas  (GHG)  balance  and  the  Convention  on 

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COM(2009)147 
Art. 5 of the EU Treaty  
UNCED report (Rio de Janeiro, 1992)Annex III, 2b 

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Biological Diversity (CBD4) addresses forest biodiversity through an expanded work 
programme.  The  United  Nations  Convention  to  Combat  Desertification  (UNCCD) 
also  acknowledges  the  important  contribution  of  forests  to  the  achievement  of  its 
goals.  

At international level, the EU is contributing to better forest protection through the 
Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade Action Plan5 and an initiative in the 
context  of  reducing  emissions  from  deforestation  and  forest  degradation6,  which 
contributes to the post-2012 discussions under the UNFCCC. 

At  pan-European  level,  the  Ministerial  Conference  on  the  Protection  of  Forests  in 
Europe  (MCPFE)7  defined,  in  1993,  sustainable  forest  management  (SFM)  as  "The 
stewardship  and  use  of  forest  lands  in  a  way,  and  at  a  rate,  that  maintains  their 
biodiversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, vitality and their potential to fulfil, 
now  and  in  the  future,  relevant  ecological,  economic  and  social  functions,  at  local, 
national  and  global  levels,  and  that  does  not  cause  damage  to  other  ecosystems". 
Subsequent  conferences8  have  produced  recommendations  for  SFM  and  forest 
protection as well as criteria and indicators for national reporting. All EU MS and the 
Commission  have  signed  the  MCPFE  resolutions  confirming  SFM  and  multi-
functionality as the core approach to forestry.  

At  EU  level,  the  Forestry  Strategy  (FS)  for  the  EU9  sets  out  common  principles  of 
EU  forestry  –  SFM  and  multi-functionality  -  and  lists  international  processes  and 
activities to be followed at EU level. The EU Forest Action Plan (FAP)10 builds on 
the  FS  and  serves  as  a  coordination  tool  for  forest  related  activities  and  policies  at 
EU  level.  It  aims,  inter  alia,  to  maintain  and  appropriately  enhance  biodiversity, 
carbon sequestration, integrity, health and resilience of forest ecosystems at multiple 
geographical  scales  because  well  functioning  forest  ecosystems  are  key  to 
maintaining  productive  capacity.  It  foresees  working  towards  a  European  forest 
monitoring system and enhancing the protection of EU forests. 

This Green Paper 

–  identifies briefly the general situation and global relevance of forests; 

–  describes the characteristics of EU forests and their functions; 

–  identifies the main challenges faced by EU forests in a changing climate and how 

they could compromise forest functions; 

–  presents an overview of the tools available to ensure forest protection, and of the 
existing  forest  information  systems  that  could  be  used  to  address  the  challenges 
and monitor environmental impacts and effects of actions. 

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http://www.cbd.int/forest/pow.shtml 
COM (2003) 251 -Council Regulation (EC) No 2173/2005 
COM (2008) 645  
http://www.mcpfe.org  
Lisbon MCPFE (1998)  
Vienna MCPFE (2003 ) 
Council Resolution (OJ 1999/C 56/01) 
COM (2006)302 

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In  addition,  it  raises  a  series  of  questions  relevant  to  developing  options  for  future 
forest protection and information in the EU under a changing climate. The responses 
from EU institutions, MS, EU citizens and other interested stakeholders will inform 
and guide Commission considerations regarding any additional action at EU level to 
better  prepare  EU  forests  for  climate  change,  and  enhance  the  fulfilment  of  their 
functions. It may also provide input for discussions concerning the possible update of 
the EU Forest Strategy on climate related aspects. 

2. 

THE STATE OF FORESTS – FOREST FUNCTIONS 

2.1.  What is a forest? 

While  there  is  no  common  definition  agreed  among  EU  MS  of  what  constitutes  a 
forest, the definitions used by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the 
United  Nations  Economic  Commission  for  Europe  (UNECE)11  in  their  periodic 
assessments of forest resources and also by the MCPFE provide an adequate working 
description for the purpose of reflecting on forest protection. 

"Forest": Land with tree crown cover (or equivalent stocking level) of more than 10 
percent and area of more than 0.5 ha. The trees should be able to reach a minimum 
height of 5 m at maturity in situ. 

"Other  wooded  land"  (OWL):  Land  either  with  a  tree  crown  cover  (or  equivalent 
stocking level) of 5-10 percent of trees able to reach a height of 5 m at maturity in 
situ; or a crown cover (or equivalent stocking level) of more than 10 percent of trees 
not able to reach a height of 5 m at maturity in situ and shrub or bush cover. 

2.2. 

Forest cover 

Worldwide,  historical  demand  for  land,  timber  products  and  energy  has  removed  a 
large  part  of  the  Earth's  original  forest  cover,  most  of  it  during  the  20th  century. 
Forests  now  cover  less  than  30  %  of  the  Earth's  land  surface  and  are  steadily 
decreasing in area12. Current deforestation, mostly in developing countries, and other 
related land use changes still cause about 12-15 % of global CO2 emissions13. 

Most  European  land  was  once  covered  by  forests.  Since  human  settlement  began, 
forest area and composition have been gradually but substantially influenced by man 
over a period of several thousand years14. The majority of EU forests now consist of 
semi-natural stands and plantations of indigenous or introduced species. 

The  EU  currently  contains  5  %  of  the  world's  forests  and  EU  forests  have 
continuously  expanded  for  over  60  years,  although  recently  at  a  lower  rate.  EU 
Forests and OWL now cover 155 million ha and 21 million ha, respectively, together 

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deforestation 

http://www.unece.org/timber/fra/definit.htm  
Global 
http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/008/a0400e/a0400e00.htm for up to date figures. 
G. R. van der Werf et al: CO2 emissions from forest loss, Nature Geoscience (2), 2009 
Falinski, J.-B.; Mortier, F., Revue forestière française XLVIII, 1996. 

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more  than  42  %  of  EU  land  area15.  Most  of  EU  forests,  including  those  under 
continuous  management,  have  also  grown  in  terms  of  wood  volume  and  carbon 
stock, thus effectively removing CO2 from the atmosphere. 

2.3. 

Forest functions 

Forests  are  among  the  most  bio-diverse  terrestrial  ecosystems.  In  healthy, 
biologically diverse forests this complexity allows organisms and their populations to 
adapt  to  changing  environmental  conditions  and  to  retain  overall  stability  of  the 
ecosystem16.  Forests  grow  slowly:  trees  take  years  to  regenerate,  decades  to  grow 
and  the  final  use  of  young  stands  is  sometimes  difficult  to  predict  when  they  are 
established. 

Forests serve multiple and interrelated social, economic and environmental functions, 
often  at  the  same  time  and  place.  Safeguarding  such  multi-functionality  requires 
balanced management approaches based on adequate forest information. 

2.3.1. 

Socio-economic functions 

2.3.1.1.  Forests  provide  jobs,  income  and  raw  materials  for  industry  and  for  renewable 

energy. 

While EU forest owners estimate their number at 16 million17, about 350.000 people 
are  directly  employed  in  forest  management.  The  main  income  from  most  forest 
holdings depends on wood production. Primary forest-based industries (FBI) provide 
sawn wood, wood-based panels, pulp for paper, firewood as well as forest chips and 
bark for bio-energy, accounting for more than 2 million jobs, often in rural small and 
medium  enterprises,  and  a  €300  billion  turnover 18.  The  European  Forest  Sector 
Outlook  Study  report19  has  called  for  improving  the  appeal,  training  opportunities 
and security standards of forest jobs. 

Wood  supports  a  large  downstream  value  chain  including  industries  such  as 
furniture, construction, printing and packaging. The forest sector provides around 8 
%  of  the  total  added  value  from  manufacturing.  The  economic  importance  of  the 
sector in rural areas is very high as sustainably managed forests build the backbone 
of the provision of wood to the FBI. Forest based raw materials, goods and services 
can  also  be  one  of  the  most  important  bases  for  economic  recovery  and  "green 
growth" in rural areas. 

Wood  production  for  industry  steadily  increased  from  1950  to  1990  in  Western 
Europe  and  then  levelled  out  until  2000.  Despite  higher  costs  for  processing  small 
timber  and  required  changes  in  forest  management,  this  trend  was  possible  due  to 
new processing and manufacturing technologies, especially in the 1970s and 1980s20 

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TBFRA 2000 - http://www.unece.org/timber/fra/welcome.htm  
SEC(2009)387, section 10.2 "Forests" 
http://www/cepf-eu.org 
SEC(2009)1111:  
http://www.unece.org/timber/efsos/  
http://www.unece.org/timber/efsos/ 

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and  later,  increasing  paper  recycling21.  A  similar  trend  occurred  in  Eastern  Europe 
with the levelling beginning around 1985. 

However,  against  a  backcloth  of  forest  expansion  and  higher  per  hectare  stocking 
rates,  the  EU  forest  utilisation  rate,  measured  as  the  ratio  of  felling  to  increment, 
declined overall from 195022 until early this century. Since then, increase in demand 
for wood products has been supplemented by that from bio-energy developments.  

There  is  potential  to  further  increase  sustainable  wood  mobilisation  within  the  EU, 
while  paying  due  attention  to  all  other  forest  functions.  But  balancing  issues  of 
competitiveness  of  the  forest  based  industries,  economic  viability,  environment, 
fragmentation  of  ownership,  organisation  and  motivation  of  forest  owners  poses 
considerable challenges and will require further information efforts. 

Reaching the 20 % renewable energy share objective of the EU Climate and Energy 
Package  could  multiply  total  biomass  demand  from  agriculture  and  forests  by  a 
factor  2  to  323,  including  a  substantial  increase in  efficiency  of  biomass  production 
and use. 

Projections made by the UN-ECE and FAO24 suggest a possible imbalance between 
supply and demand to meet existing material use and extrapolated renewable energy 
needs,  if  the  importance  of  wood  in  the  biomass  component  of  the  total  renewable 
energy supply remains constant.  

Under this scenario it has been estimated25 that, due to steadily growing demand, the 
ratio  of  fellings  over  net  annual  increment  could  temporarily  increase  in  some 
European  countries  to  over  100  %,  causing  a  decline  in  growing  stock  after  2020. 
While  a  temporary  high  utilisation  rate  is  not  necessarily  unsustainable,  given  that 
the forest age-class structure is positively skewed in many MS, it could turn forests 
from a carbon sink into a temporary source. Raising utilisation rates may also help to 
decrease instability of aging stands, saturation effects in old forests and vulnerability 
to  forest  fires,  storms  and  pests  thereby  counteracting  the  risk  that  EU  forests  turn 
into a carbon source.  

Targeted and timely forest information will be crucial for determining the role wood 
can  play  as  a  raw  material  for  the  wood-processing  industry  and  for  energy 
generation. Under the above scenario, maintaining the potential for sustainable wood 
supply will require: 

–  Developing new domestic sources of wood, notably through expansion of the area 

used to grow and harvest wood; 

–  Mobilising  wood  from  existing  domestic  sources  (forest  and  non-forest),  e.g. 

through higher wood removals;  

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COM(2008)113  
Häglund, B.: The role of European forests in welfare creation, STORA ENSO presentation , 2003 
COM (2006)848 
www.unece.org/timber/docs/dp/dp-41.pdf 
Hetsch S. et al (2008): Wood resources availability and demands II -future wood flows in the forest and 
energy sector. European countries in 2010 and 2020,Geneva 

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–  Increasing efficiency in the production and the use of wood;  

–  Increasing imports of wood raw materials. 

Achieving the above while retaining or enhancing all other forest functions will pose 
new challenges for SFM at all levels. In the light of adaptation of forests to climate 
change this could include restructuring measures like changes in tree composition as 
well as more frequent and early thinnings, depending on the local situation. 

In  addition  to  wood  products,  non-wood  goods  and  services  provide,  in  some 
European  regions,  more  revenue  than  wood  sales26.  Innovative  methods  for  the 
valuation of non marketed forest products and services have been investigated by the 
Commission27.  Biodiversity  protection,  recreation,  carbon  sequestration  and 
watershed  services  are  the  most  important  non-market  services  but  are  generally 
unrewarded due to the fact that they often have the status of public goods. 

2.3.1.2.  Forests protect settlements and infrastructure,  

Forests  are  a  key  component  of  the  European  landscape.  Many  mountain  areas  in 
Europe  would  be  uninhabitable  without  forests  that  prevent  landslides,  mudflows, 
rock  fall  and  avalanches  from  affecting  roads,  railways,  cultivated  areas  and  entire 
settlements. Such protective forests have to be especially managed to provide a stable 
and  continuous  vegetation  cover.  In  Austria,  19  %  of  the  total  forest  area  has  been 
designated  by  the  1975  Forest  Act  protective  forests.  French  forest  legislation 
distinguishes between several types of protective forests: "forêts de montagne, forêt 
alluviale, forêt périurbaine ou littorale".  

Forests managed for amenity purposes (including seldom marketed amenities such as 
hunting, recreation, landscape value, berry and mushroom picking) raise the value of 
neighbouring estates, encourage tourism, contribute to health and well-being and are 
part of European cultural heritage. 

2.3.2.  Environmental functions – ecosystem services 

2.3.2.1.  Forests protect soil 

Forest  areas  play  a  role  in  preserving  landscapes  and  soil  fertility.  Forests  prevent 
soil erosion and desertification especially in mountains or semi arid areas, mostly by 
limiting  runoff  and  lowering  wind  speed.  They  also  deepen  and  enrich28  the  soils 
upon  which  they  grow  due  to  their  coarse  and  fine  roots,  which  increase  the 
weathering of rocks and whose degradation is a major source of soil organic matter 
(SOM),  and  so  contribute  to  soil  fertility,  productivity  and  carbon  sequestration. 
Efforts in afforestation and reforestation,  leading to an increasing forest area in the 
EU, as well as natural regeneration, growing shares of mixed forests and soil friendly 
harvesting  machinery  support  this  function.  On  the  other  hand,  intensification 
measures such as shortening of rotations and use of forest logging residues, stumps 

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MCPFE"State of Europe's forests 2007"" 
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/analysis/external/forest_products  
SOM 
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in humid (Vallejo, R. et al (2005) MMA - Spain) 

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and  roots  can  damage  and  impoverish  soils,  and  cause  additional  GHG  emissions 
under certain site conditions29 and depending on the local situation. 

2.3.2.2.  Forests regulate freshwater supplies 

Forests play a major role in the storage, purification and release of water to surface 
water bodies and subsurface aquifers. Their purification role, including that of forest 
soils30,  includes  breaking  down  or  absorbing  most  air  pollutants  carried  by  rain. 
Their soils buffer large quantities of water, reducing flooding. Many MS make use of 
the  water  regulating  role  of  forests  in  the  provision  of  drinking  water.  In  Belgium, 
water from the Ardennes forest area is the principal supply source for Brussels and 
Flanders.  In  Germany,  two  thirds  of  the  "Wasserschutzgebiete"31  for  abstraction  of 
high  quality  drinking  water  is  under  forest  cover.  In  Spain,  forests  in  upper  river 
catchments have been given special conservation status because of their capacity to 
improve water quality. 

2.3.2.3.  Forests conserve biodiversity 

Forests  are  a  key  component  of  European  nature  and  they  are  home  to  the  largest 
number of vertebrates on the continent. Several dominant tree species (e.g. European 
beech  and  holm  oak)  are  virtually  restricted  to  Europe,  giving  European  forests  a 
distinctive nature. Thousands of species of insects and invertebrates as well as many 
plants  are  confined  to  forest  habitats  primarily  constituted  by  these  trees. 
Biodiversity  conservation  (from  genetics  to  landscape  scales)  improves  forest 
resilience  and  adaptive  capacity32.  Forest  habitat  types  designated  as  Natura  2000 
sites  cover  over  14  million  ha,  constituting  almost  20  %  of  the  whole  terrestrial 
Natura 2000 network. 

Forests undisturbed by man3334, account for about 9 million ha, ca 5 % of total forest 
area in the EEA region35. Such forest habitats have been the source of many of the 
cultivated plants, wild fruits, and medicines in use today and should continue to fulfil 
that  function  for  future  generations.  Forests  in  SE  Europe,  Fenno-Scandia  and  the 
Baltic area are strongholds of large carnivores such as the wolf, bear and lynx which 
are mostly extinct elsewhere in the EU. 

Active forest management can create more diverse habitat structures, by mimicking 
natural  disturbances,  which  in  turn  can  favour  higher  species  diversity36,  in 
comparison to no management. 

The  recent  Commission  assessment  of  the  conservation  status  of  Europe's  most 
vulnerable habitats and species protected under the Habitats Directive37 indicates that 
grassland, wetland and coastal habitat types are under most pressure, while one third 

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http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/forestresearch.nsf/ByUnique/INFD-623HXH  
EEA report 8/2009. 
"Water Protection Areas" Bayerischer Agrarbericht 2008  
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/info/pubs/docs/nat2000/n2kforest_en.pdf 
TBFRA 2000-http://www.unece.org/trade/timber/fra/welcome.htm). 
MCPFE "State of Europe's Forests 2007" 
EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Turkey 
Tomialojc and Wesolowski (2000). Biogeography ecology and forest bird communities 
COM (2009) 358 

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of forest habitats of Community interest38 are in a favourable conservation status. But 
this situation is quite regionally varied and general trends are not evident. Reporting 
on  the  EU's  2010  biodiversity  target  indicates  that  certain  forest  bird  populations, 
have  now  stabilized  after  decline,  while  deadwood  remains  below  optimal  levels 
from a biodiversity perspective in most European countries 39. It also has to be noted 
that some challenges to forest biodiversity can originate outside the forest sector. 

Recent biodiversity monitoring of forests at EU level40 has provided a baseline with 
harmonized  and  comparable  information  on  tree  species  richness,  stand  structure, 
forest types, deadwood, and ground vegetation. Results include the fact that most of 
the surveyed forests are between 60-80 years old and are mainly composed of one to 
two  tree  species,  occasionally  reaching  more  than  10.  However,  it  should  also  be 
kept in mind that overall biodiversity is known to depend not only on tree species but 
as well on stand structure and resulting light conditions. 

2.3.3.  The role of forests in climate regulation 

2.3.3.1.  Forests as sinks and sources of carbon 

Forests  are  an  essential  link  in  the  global  carbon  cycle  because  of  their  capacity  to 
remove CO2 from the atmosphere and to store it in their biomass and soil thus acting 
as a sink. Their growth counteracts rising GHG concentrations in the atmosphere. On 
the  other  hand,  forest  degradation  and/or  conversion  to  other  land  use  can  cause 
substantial  GHG  emissions  due  to  fires,  biomass  decay  and/or  mineralisation  of 
SOM, leading to forests becoming a CO2 source.  

National  forest  inventories  (NFI)  are  the  most  important  data  sources  for  the 
estimation  of  whether  forest  are  sinks  or  sources  of  CO2.  Currently,  NFIs  indicate 
that EU forest increment is higher than fellings. On this basis, EU forests accumulate 
carbon  and  therefore  “forest  land”  currently  acts  as  a  net  carbon  sink41:  It  removes 
ca.  0.5  Gt  of  CO2/yr,  compared  to  EU-27  industrial  GHG  emissions  of  5  Gt  CO2 
equivalent  /yr42.  However,  the  combined  effects  of  climate  change  (e.g.  more 
frequent  very  strong  storms43),  prevalence  of  older  stands  and  possible  unforeseen 
increases in timber harvesting may have an impact on this sink capacity. 

In  this  context,  it  is  important  that  forests  can  provide  renewable  materials  and 
energy  which  can  be  used  as  a  substitute  for  more  carbon  intensive  products  and 
energy  sources.  More  carbon  in  standing  timber  and  wood  products  as  well  as 
reduced utilisation of fossil fuels means less GHG in the atmosphere. 

In the long term, a sustainable forest management strategy aimed at maintaining or 
increasing forest carbon stocks while producing an annual sustained yield of timber, 
fibre or energy is expected to generate the largest sustained mitigation benefit44.  

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Art. 17 HD report 2009 - http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/ 
EEA Rep.n°4/2009  
BioSoil project / "Forest Focus" 
Ciais, P. et al. (2008): http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v1/n7/full/ngeo233.html  
Annual European Community greenhouse gas inventory 1990–2007 and inventory report 2009 
Lindroth, A. et al in Global Change Biology 2009-15  
http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg3/ar4-wg3-chapter9.pdf  

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2.3.3.2.  Forests as regulators of local and regional weather 

Evapo-transpiration  by  all  vegetation  is  responsible  for  about  2/3  of  total  water 
injection from land to air45. Forests not only store but also evaporate huge amounts of 
water,  complementing  the  flux  of  oceanic  moisture  moving  inland46.  Forests 
therefore  play  a  major  role  in  the  atmospheric  circulation  and  the  water  cycle47  on 
land  and  may  have  a  role  in  mitigating  regional  climate,  desertification  and  water 
security problems. 

Deforestation has a direct impact on wind and weather patterns globally and locally 
through modifications of the water cycle. However, in certain arid areas, forests can 
increase water deficits through higher evapo-transpiration than alternative vegetation 
types.  This  is  particularly  true  for  water-demanding  fast-growing  tree  species  and 
varieties planted on inappropriate sites48.  

Available information on forest influence on weather patterns is international rather 
than  European.  Investigations  focussing  on  such  influences  in  Europe  would  be 
desirable. Still, it will not be possible to apportion what part of changes results from 
climate change without long-term observation. 

Question 1: 

Do you think maintaining, balancing and enhancing forest functions should be 
given more attention? If so, on what level should action be taken, EU, national 
and/or other? How should it be done?  

3. 

IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON FORESTS 

Forests  have  developed  together  with  the  naturally  changing  climate  over  the 
millennia.  As  climate  shifted  slowly,  and  the  natural  environment  presented  few 
barriers,  species  and  communities  could  adapt  and  evolve  more  easily49.  Most  EU 
forest  management  is  aimed  at  developing  forests  that  are  well  adapted  to  local 
growing conditions. However the rapid rate of human-induced climate change is now 
overcoming  the  natural  ability  of  ecosystems  to  adapt.  The  rate  of  temperature 
increase  is  unprecedented.  A  fragmented  landscape,  often  simplified  forest 
composition and structure and pressures such as forest dieback, new pests and storms 
make autonomous forest adaptation much more difficult. Therefore, increased human 
intervention  regarding  species  choice  and  management  techniques  is  likely  to  be 
required to maintain viable forest cover and continuity of all forest functions. Some 
regions may experience more favourable conditions for forest growth in the medium 
term. 

45 

46 

47 

48 
49 

Menenti, M.; Verstraete, M; Peltoniemi, J. (2000): Observing land from space: science, customers, and 
technology. Kluwer Academic 
Makarieva, A. et al.: Precipitation on land versus distance from the ocean: Evidence for a forest pump 
of atmospheric moisture, in: Ecological Complexity, Volume 6, Issue 3, 09/2009 
Murdiyarso,  D.;  Sheil,  D.:  How  Forests  Attract  Rain:  An  Examination  of  a  New  Hypothesis.,  in: 
BioScience 59, 2009 
http://melbournecatchments.org 
Also natural events such as the ice ages have sometimes caused more abrupt changes in the occurrence 
and distribution of species. 

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Mean  temperatures  in  Europe  have  now  risen  by  almost  1°  C50  during  the  past 
century and are expected to climb further, the most optimistic scenario forecasting an 
increase of 2° C by 2100. A change of this magnitude corresponds to the difference 
in the temperature optimum of forest types as different as spruce versus beech forest 
or beech  versus  oak  stands.  It  will  thus  alter  the  suitability  of  whole  regions  for 
certain  forest  types,  forcing  a  shift  in  natural  species  distribution  and  leading  to 
changes in growth of existing stands. In addition extreme events (storms, forest fires, 
droughts  and  heatwaves)  are  expected  to  become  much  more  common51  and/or 
severe. 

Even without climate change, the capacity of forests to carry out their functions has 
always  been  under  pressure  from  various  natural  hazards.  While  it  is  clear  that  in 
general  climate  change  exacerbates  such  hazards,  it  is  impossible  to  accurately 
quantify  how  much  impact  is  due  only  to  climate  change  compared  to  historical 
levels.  For  this  reason,  the  impacts  on  forest  functions  from  both  endemic  and 
climate change causes are considered as a whole. 

3.1. 

Shifting environmental conditions and dieback 

Overall,  projections  of  the  net  effects  of  climate  change  on  EU  forest  species' 
populations in the medium term are complex52: 

In the Northwest of Europe, where water supplies are, typically, less limiting, growth 
rates are likely to be enhanced by a combination of rising carbon dioxide levels in the 
atmosphere, a longer growing season and increased nutrient availability as a result of 
atmospheric deposition and increased soil mineralisation. 

In  Southern  Europe,  where  water  availability  is  a  critical  factor,  more  frequent 
summer  droughts  may  lead  to  reduced  productivity  and  resilience.  Following 
droughts and heatwaves, forest decline has been observed over the last few decades 
in Mediterranean countries with dieback and death of several pine and oak species53, 
generally  attributed  to  dryer  and  warmer  climatic  conditions54  and  often  combined 
with biotic factors (insect pests and diseases).  

Longer term projections are more uncertain and depend on the winter resistance and 
summer  resistance  of  affected  forest  types  and  species.  As  an  example,  the  loss  of 
Alpine habitat suitable to Arolla pine at lower elevations would be 2.4 times the gain 
due to a shift in upward altitudinal distribution.55  

Changing climate is also likely to56: 

–  increase the levels of damage caused by domestic forest pathogens and pests; 

50 
51 
52 
53 
54 
55 
56 

4AR of IPCC, WG 1 www.ipcc.ch  
http://www.fao.org/docrep/011/i0670e/i0670e10.htm  
EEA rep. No 4/2008 / SEC(2009)387 
Colinas, C.; De Dios, V.; Fischer, Ch.: Vol. 33, No 1, 01/2007 
Gonzales, C (2008): Analysis of the oak decline in Spain "la seca". Thesis, SLU Uppsala 
Casalegno, S. et al., 2010 Forest Ecology and Management (in press) 
BOKU,  EFI,  IAFS,  INRA  (2008):  Impacts  of  Climate  Change  on  European  forests  and  options  for 
adaptation 

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–  bring new exotic infestations, whether introduced by man or migrating naturally ; 

–  changes in population dynamics. 

3.2. 

Destructive storms 

Historical time series about storm damage in the EU are patchy and will require more 
research in the future to allow adequate risk analysis for the forest sector. During the 
past  10  years,  however,  large  damaging  storms  have  occurred  in  Europe  more 
frequently.  Storms  have  become  the  single  most  damaging  factor  in  temperate 
Europe and storm losses now exceed 50 % of all types of forest-related damage57. In 
January, 2005, a severe storm ("Gudrun") raged through Northern Europe, throwing 
over and damaging nearly an entire year’s harvest (75 million m³) for the whole of 
Sweden.  In  2007,  the  storm  “Kyrill”  caused  extensive  damage  across  NW  lowland 
Europe. In  January  2009  another major storm, “Klaus”,  levelled  enormous  areas of 
plantation forest in SW France and N Spain.  

Besides  the  negative  environmental  impacts  of  such  storms,  there  are  social  and 
economical consequences linked to mobilising such huge quantities of fallen timber 
much  of  it  broken,  split  or  up-rooted,  reducing  its  saleability  .To  optimise  salvage 
and the chances of sale, the timber must be logged as soon as possible, also in order 
to  reduce  the  risk  of  further  damage,  e.g.  from  insect  attacks,  fungal  decay  and 
differential drying.  

Whilst on a small scale, salvage operations may temporarily create local employment 
opportunities,  large-scale  storm  damage  usually  requires  redeploying  personnel  in 
planning,  harvesting,  transporting,  marketing  and  storing  large  amounts  of  timber. 
This  not  only  disrupts  timber  markets  for  certain  grades  of  wood,  but  also  forest 
operations  which  had  been  foreseen.  Storm  damage  may  also  lead  to  expensive 
maintenance and repairs of traffic and ecological infrastructures. 

3.3. 

Large fires 

Climate  change  is forecast  to  cause, especially in Southern Europe, more droughts, 
higher  temperatures  and  more  windy  periods.  This  will  raise  the  likelihood  and 
severity  of  fires,  as  indicated  in  the  graph  below,  showing  a  strong  correlation 
between mean burnt areas and the monthly fire danger severity rating (MSR)58 of fire 
danger in exposed Member States59. This means that future weather conditions in the 
EU Mediterranean region are likely to lead to an increase of the fire danger hence an 
increase of the burned areas. 

57 
58 
59 

Lindner et al. 2008 http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/analysis/external/euro_forests/full_report_en.pdf  
The Monthly Severity Rating explains fire danger on the basis of meteorological conditions 
Joint Research Centre-IES: European Forest Fire Information System, Forest fires in Europe 2008 

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Burned area vs Monthly Severity Rating in EUMed
(June to October 1985-2005)

y = 3553e0,3946x
R2 = 0,7373

)
a
h
(
a
e
r
a
d
e
n
r
u
b
y
l
h
t
n
o
M

500.000

450.000

400.000

350.000

300.000

250.000

200.000

150.000

100.000

50.000

-

0,0

2,0

4,0

6,0

8,0

10,0

12,0

Monthly Severity Rating

Currently,  an  average  of  500,000  ha  of  forest  is  burnt  in  the  EU  annually  with 
associated emissions of CO2, other gases and particles60. Over 50,000 forest fires are 
ignited each year in the most affected MS although this number has declined in the 
last decade, if compared to previous decades. 

The higher fire risk and magnitude of forest fires have resulted in huge burnt areas in 
Portugal in 2003 (more than 400,000 ha) and 2005, and in Spain, in 1985, 1989 and 
1994.  In  Greece  in  2007,  when  temperatures  reached  46ºC,  five  major  fires  burnt 
170,000 ha in the Peloponnesus region alone. 

As  well  as  causing  human  casualties,  damaging  property  and  reducing  soil  fertility 
through loss of organic matter, large fires hamper biodiversity conservation. During 
summer 2009, at least 30 % of the burnt area61 was in Natura 2000 sites in Bulgaria, 
France,  Greece,  Italy,  Portugal,  Spain  and  Sweden.  Seriously  affected  forests  in 
Natura 2000 sites face a major challenge to recover pre-fire condition particularly for 
biodiversity. 

EU and MS efforts to address the issue of forest fire prevention have been significant 
and  focussed  on  training,  research,  awareness-raising,  and  structural  prevention. 
They  will  need  to  be  stepped  up  as  a  consequence  of  climate  change.  A  clear 
correlation  also  exists  between  active  forest  management  and  the  reduction  of  fire 
risks:  a  well  functioning  bio-energy  market,  often  obstructed  by  lack  of  proper 
management  due  to  fragmented  forest  ownership,  could  have  a  significant  fire 
prevention  role  by  giving  an  economic  incentive  to  remove  biomass  that  currently 
feeds wildfires in abandoned forests. 

60 
61 

Westerling, A.L. et al: in: Science, Vol. 313. no. 5789 (08/2006) 
EFFIS newsletter September 2009 

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3.4. 

Impacts on forest functions 

The  Council  Conclusions  on  the  recent  Commission  white  paper  "Adapting  to 
climate change: Towards a European framework for action" emphasized the need of 
mainstreaming  adaptation  into  all  relevant  policies  by  increasing  the  resilience  of, 
i.a., forests. They further stressed the need to improve the assessment of the impacts 
of climate change in all relevant sectors and recognised the role of SFM in reducing 
the vulnerability of forests to climate change. 

The  Council  conclusions  also  took  note  of  the  2009  report62  of  the  International 
Union of Forest Research Organizations which stated: “Climate change over the past 
half-century has already affected forest ecosystems and will have increasing effects 
on them in the future. The carbon regulating services of forests are at risk of being 
lost  entirely  unless  current  carbon  emissions  are  reduced  substantially;  this  would 
result  in  the  release  of  huge  quantities  of  carbon  to  the  atmosphere,  exacerbating 
climate change”. 

The combined effects of climate change on forests, including shifting environmental 
conditions,  dieback,  storms  and  fires  will  be  felt  throughout  Europe  although  at 
varying  levels  of  intensity.  They  will  have  impacts  on  the  socio-economic  and 
environmental functions. The  challenges  now associated with particular regions are 
likely to spread beyond their traditional boundaries as is already evident for fires and 
storms. This growing EU wide dimension63 raises questions to how best the EU can 
contribute to ensure forests can continue to deliver all their functions. 

Question 2: 

- To what extent are EU forests and the forest sector ready to address the nature 
and magnitude of the challenges posed by climate change? 

- Do you consider particular regions, certain countries more exposed/vulnerable 
to  the  effects  of  climate  change?  What  sources  of  information  would  you  base 
your answer on? 

- Would you  see a need  for EU-level  early  action to ensure all  forest  functions 
are maintained? 

- How could the EU contribute to add value to the respective efforts of MS? 

4. 

TOOLS AVAILABLE FOR FOREST PROTECTION  

Today,  MS  have  many  tools  at  their  disposal  to  ensure  the  protection  of  forests. 
MCPFE principles, MS and relevant EU legislation, forest information systems and 
SFM  practices  on  the  ground  can  all  contribute.  In  addition,  the  Standing  Forestry 
Committee,  the  Advisory  Group  on  Forestry  and  Cork,  the  advisory  Committee  on 

62 

63 

“Making forests fit for Climate Change, a global view of climate-change impacts on forests and people 
and options for adaptation”, 2009. 
Winkel, G. et al (2009): http://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/pdf/ifp_ecologic_report.pdf  

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FBI and the Expert Group on Forest Fires, chaired by the Commission, provide for 
regular exchanges of views between stakeholders, MS and the Commission. 

4.1. 

National policies shaping forest use and forest management 

All  EU  MS  have  national  (and  sometimes  regional)  legislation  on  forest 
management.  This  extends  from  specific  forest  legislation  to  forest  related 
components of other legislation.. 

The usual instruments found across different EU countries or regions are: 

–  National Forest Programmes; 

–  Operational forestry standards; 

–  Inclusive and systematic National Forest Inventories (NFI); 

–  Land  registry  systems,  an  important  tool  for  developing  social  and  economic 

forest functions and restricting illegal conversion of forests; 

–  Mapping of forest functions and related planning at landscape and regional level; 

–  Forest  management  requirements,  including  management  plans  and  sometimes 
including specific management obligations in relation to certain forest functions; 

–  Requirements on the production and use of propagation material; 

–  National action plans under the CBD or UNCCD; 

–  Support schemes to assist private forest owners and their associations; 

–  Legal  provisions  and  incentives  to  reduce  ownership  fragmentation,  sometimes 

coupled to incentives for co-operation among forest owners; 

–  Licensing regimes that make timber harvest contingent on approval by competent 

authorities; 

–  Restrictions on conversion of forest land to other uses. 

In some instances, the above mentioned tools are mandatory, in others voluntary. 

4.2. 

EU policies shaping forest use and forest management 

In  addition  to  the  EU  FS,  the  EU  FAP  and  the  Communication  on  Innovative  and 
Sustainable  Forest-based  Industries64  which  are  the  only  forest  specific  EU  policy 
tools,  a  number  of  other  EU  policies  are relevant  though  not  specifically  related  to 
forests and forestry. Many key actions in the EU FAP refer to these policies, which 
are outlined below. 

64 

COM(2008)113 

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–  In  the  Natura  2000  network,  forest  habitats  constitute  almost  20  %  of  the 

designated terrestrial sites.  

–  EU  climate  policy  recognises  that  to  achieve  its  overall  targets,  all  sectors, 
including  land  use,  land-use  change  and  forestry  (LULUCF),  must  make  a 
contribution65.  The  Effort  Sharing  Decision66  and  the  ETS  directive67  include 
provisions for the Commission to assess options for including LULUCF in the EU 
GHG reduction commitment. 

–  The  Rural  Development  Regulation  (2007-201368)  is  the  main  instrument  for 
financing  of  forest  measures  and  includes  provisions  for  co-financing  for 
afforestation,  payments  for  Natura  2000  areas,  prevention  and  restoration  and 
other  forest  environmental  measures  as  well  as  a  wide  range  of  investments  in 
forest management and wood processing.  

Measures  related  to  the  use  of  advisory  services  by  forest  holders  contribute  to 
promote  the  sustainable  use  of  forests,  increase  awareness  in  climate  change, 
encourage mitigation actions and assist forest holders in adaptation measures.  

The cross-compliance mechanism can as well have an effect on forest management, 
especially after the Health Check modification that introduced water management in 
the  Good  Agricultural  and  Environmental  Condition  (GAEC)  framework  with  the 
new  standard  “Establishment  of  buffer  strips  along  water  courses”  that  will  be 
compulsory  from  2012  at  the  latest.  Wooded  buffer  strips  may  be  created  or 
preserved within the implementation of this policy. 

–  The Directive on the promotion of energy from renewable sources (RES-D)69 sets 
a binding target for the EU to achieve a 20 % renewable energy share by 2020, in 
which the largest contribution is expected to come from biomass from agriculture, 
forestry and waste for heat and power generation as well as transport fuels. 

–  The  Action  Plan  on  Sustainable  Consumption  and  Production  and  Sustainable 
Industrial  Policy  (SCP/SIP),  aims  at  improving  the  energy  and  environmental 
performances  of  products.  An  EU  Green  public  procurement  policy  for  public 
bodies and the revised EU Eco-label70 are part of this. 

–  The Community plant health regime (CPHR71) aims at preventing the spreading of 
alien forest species or of organisms harmful to forests. Its ongoing revision might 
introduce  more  flexibility  regarding  limitations  on  the  use  and  trade  of  forest 
reproductive material and/or cope with the effects of climate change on pest and 
diseases as well as their vectors.  

65 
66 
67 
68 
69 
70 
71 

COM(2007)2 / COM(2005)35 
Decision No 406/2009/EC 
Directive 2009/29/EC 
Council Regulation (EC) 1698/2005  
Directive 2009/28/EC 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/index_en.htm 
Council Directive 2000/29/EC 

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–  Council Directive 1999/105/EC of 22 December 1999 on the marketing of forest 
reproductive material72 recognizes that the choice of forest reproductive material 
is  important  for  forestry  purposes  and  that  this  material  should  be  genetically 
suited to the various site conditions and be of high quality. 

–  The  7th  Research  Framework  Program  (FP7)  launched  the  concept  of  European 
Technology Platforms in areas where Europe's competitiveness, economic growth 
and welfare depend on important research and technological progress. The Forest 
Technology Platform brings together stakeholders, under industrial leadership, to 
define and implement a Strategic Research Agenda . 

–  FP7 also funds collaborative research on sustainable production and management 
of  biological  resources  from  forest  and  on  the  prediction  of  forthcoming 
ecological changes.  

–  The  Commission's  JRC  work  on  remote  sensing,  climate  change,  forest 
monitoring,  forest  fragmentation,  fires  and  forest  information  systems.  COST 
projects have addressed Protected Forest Areas and NFIs. 

–  Current  Cohesion  Policy  supports  investments  in  renewable  energy  and  co-
finances programmes that preserve and promote natural areas and biodiversity. 

–  The  EU  Solidarity  Fund  73  assists  MS  in  dealing  with  damage  caused  by  major 

natural disasters including storms and forest fires. 

–  The  EU  Civil  Protection  Mechanism  provides  the  framework  for  organising 
mutual  assistance  between  the  MS  for  responding  to  major  disasters  including 
forest fires and storms, which overwhelm the response capacities of the affected 
MS74. 

–  The  EU  approach  on  natural  and  man-made  disasters75  recently  endorsed  by  the 
Council76 takes a multi hazard approach to risk assessment and management and 
identifies forest fires as an important priority for EU work on risk assessment and 
management. 

–  In  order  to  ensure  coherence,  the  inter-service  group  on  forestry  within  the 

Commission meets regularly to discuss relevant forest related issues. 

72 
73 
74 
75 
76 

EN 

OJ L 011 , 15/01/2000, 
Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 
Council Decision 2007/779/EC 
COM(2009) 82 
Council 
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/NewsWord/en/jha/111537.doc 

Conclusions 

30 

of 

November 

2009 

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Question 3: 

- Do you consider that EU and MS policies are sufficient to ensure that the EU 
contributes to forest protection, including preparing forests for climate change 
and conserving biodiversity in forests? 

-  In  what  areas,  if  any,  do  you  think  further  action  may  be  necessary?  How 
might this be organized, under the given policy framework or beyond? 

4.3. 

Forest management and use 

Sustainable  forest  management,  based  on  MCPFE  principles,  MS  policies  and 
requirements  and  supported  by  the  EU  particularly  through  rural  development 
provides  an  important  means  at  forest  level  for  the  transfer  of  policy  to  practice. 
Among the SFM practices supporting forest protection are: 

–  Afforestation,  creating  new  forests  to  enhance  carbon  sequestration  and  enhance 
biodiversity  on  appropriate  lands,  to  protect  human  settlements  and  cultural 
landscapes while also raising long term productive output; 

–  Fire  prevention  measures  such  as  management  of  combustible  material, 
establishment  and maintenance of  fire  breaks, forest tracks, water supply points, 
appropriate  choice  of  tree  species,  fixed  forest  fire  monitoring  facilities  and 
communication equipments to prevent catastrophic fire spread. 

–  Proper  forest  planning  that  can  support  the  adaptation  of  forest  species 
composition  by  favouring  more  suitable  tree  species  and  breeds  or,  within  a 
species, a higher genetic variability. 

–  Sustainable mobilisation and harvesting of wood as well as investments in forestry 
operations  to  increase  stability  and  resilience  of  forests  against  climate  change 
impacts, including reducing the risks of forest fires, pests and storms. 

–  Actively favouring tree species composition which is likely to be better adapted to 
site  and  growing  conditions  under  changing  climatic  conditions  including,  inter 
alia, by the use of natural regeneration where appropriate and possible.  

–  Preserving endemic genetic resources and selecting those elements of the existing 
gene pool that are best adapted to expected growing conditions in the future. This 
may also involve the use of new varieties and species. 

–  Preventing  the  introduction  by  international  trade  of  new  pests  and  diseases,  as 

well as their vectors (e.g. pinewood nematode in Portugal). 

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Question 4: 

-  How  could  the  practical  implementation  of  SFM  be  updated  in  order  to 
upkeep the productive and protective functions of forests and overall viability of 
forestry, as well as enhance the resilience of EU forests in view of climate change 
and biodiversity loss? ? 

-  What  steps  are  required  to  ensure  that  the  gene  pool  in  forest  reproductive 
material  can  be  successfully  conserved  in  its  diversity  and  adapted  to  climate 
change? 

4.4. 

Forest Information 

Information about forest resources and condition is essential to ensure that decisions 
made  regarding  forests  bring  greatest  benefits  in  socio-economic  and  ecological 
terms  on  all  levels.  Moreover,  the  EU  has  reporting  obligations  towards  the 
UNFCCC  and  the  CBD  that  require  reliable  and  consistent  forest  information 
systems. Currently, information concerning forests is held at several different levels: 

•  Forest  inventories:  National  forest  inventories  (NFIs)  hold  most  of  the  required 
information  on  forest  resources.  This  information  is  not  harmonised  and  is 
therefore  of  limited  use  at  EU  level.  Through  various  projects,  the  Commission 
has been investigating the possibility: 

–  to expand the scope of forest inventory systems beyond wood production aspects 
so  as  to  include  the  improved  SFM  indicators  and  criteria  endorsed  by  the 
MCPFE77, as well as socio-economic information. 

–  to harmonize NFI78 in order to make them comparable. 

•  The  integrated  administration  and  control  system  (IACS,  co-funded  by  the  EU 
rural development fund) is used to manage and control not only direct payments, 
but  also  certain  area-based  measures  of  the  rural  development  policy  (e.g.  agri-
environment forestry measures).  

•  Forest condition monitoring: Under EU legislation, from 1987 to 2006, when the 
Forest Focus79 regulation expired, MS have monitored forest condition according 
to the "scheme of large scale and intensive monitoring"80. Since 2007 there is no 
EU  legal  basis  for  monitoring  but  the  "FutMon"  project  under  Life+81  is  being 
supported with a view to develop future monitoring concepts. 

•  Monitoring of forest fires: The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) 
is a voluntary approach, recognized by the MS, the Commission and the European 
Parliament as an essential tool for forest fire monitoring in Europe. 

77 
78 
79 
80 
81 

http://www.mcpfe.org/system/files/u1/List_of_improved_indicators.pdf  
COST E43 report. http://www.metla.fi/eu/cost/e43/ 
Regulation (EC) 2152/2003  
http://www.icp-forests.org/ 
Regulation (EC) No 614/2007 

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•  Forest  classification:  The  EEA  has  developed  a  forest  typology82  which  could 
eventually  be  used  for  European-level  forest  assessments  on  an  ecological  basis 
but  so  far  only  few  MS  have  tested  it  in  their  forest  information  systems.  Its 
adoption will still require considerable technical work and resources.  

The  European  Forest  Data  Centre  (EFDAC)  developed  by  the  Commission, 
capitalizes  on  existing  forest  information  and  monitoring  databases  in  the  EU, 
integrates the European Forest Information and Communication Platform (EFICP)83, 
and builds on several initiatives of the Commission84. EFDAC aims at becoming the 
focal  point  for  forest  information  in  Europe.  It  currently  includes  all  the  spatially 
detailed data collected under past EU regulations and the results of past projects. 

Eurostat provides yearly statistics on the production of and trade in wood and wood 
products for the EU and EFTA countries. It works in conjunction with UNECE, FAO 
and  ITTO  (International  Tropical  Timber  Organisation)  as  part  of  a  worldwide 
exercise, using a single joint questionnaire based on a set of harmonised definitions. 
These  data  could  contribute  to  modelling  the  carbon  contained  in  yearly  wood 
removals from the forest and stored in wood products. Eurostat also provides yearly 
economic indicators for forestry, logging and FBI. 

Aggregated  data  on  forest  damage,  except  in  the  case  of  fires,  do  not  provide  any 
measure of the actual level of damage. A system to monitor pest outbreaks in the EU 
does  not  currently  exist  but  might  be  needed  considering  the  expected  impacts  of 
climate  change  on  distribution  of  harmful  organisms.  Furthermore,  lack  of 
comparable and verifiable information has led to an incomplete picture about GHG 
balances in forestry operations and their impact on forest biodiversity.  

The need for more harmonized, reliable and comprehensive information on forests is 
increasingly recognized by the Commission, the MS and many economic operators. 
The  recent  mid-term  review85  of  the  EU  FAP  called  for  an  enhancement  of  the 
existing  forest  information  systems.  While  some  MS  may  have  forest  information 
satisfying their own needs, it may not add up to information that is helpful at EU or 
global levels. 

Harmonised reporting on a more complete set of indicators could be an effective way 
towards  better  information  about  forest  use,  forest  functions  and  ultimately  forest 
protection.  Better  information  on  forest  carbon  and  sequestration  of  carbon  in 
harvested  wood  products  is  also  essential  to  support  forests  and  forestry  to  further 
effectively contribute to climate change mitigation. The considerable difficulties that 
recently arose in the formulation of EU submissions to international processes, such 
as the Copenhagen climate conference have made this quite clear. 

82 
83 
84 
85 

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/technical_report_2006_9  
EFICP http://eficp.jrc.ec.europa.eu/EFICP/  
INSPIRE, SEIS and GMES 
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eval/reports/euforest/index_en.htm 

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Question 5: 

Taking  into  account  the  various  relevant  policy  levels,  is  available  forest 
information today sufficient to assess with sufficient accuracy and consistency: 

- The health and condition of EU forests? 

- Their productive potential? 

- Their carbon balance? 

- Their protective functions (soils, water, weather regulation, biodiversity)? 

- The provision of services to society and their social function? 

- Overall viability of forestry? 

If it is insufficient, how should forest information be improved? 

Are efforts towards harmonised86 data collection on forests sufficient? 

What  can  the  EU  do  to  further  develop  and  /  or  enhance  forest  information 
systems? 

5. 

NEXT STEPS 

Many forests throughout Europe will increasingly be challenged by climate change. Preparing 
to meet these challenges now is the best way to ensure that forests can continue to deliver all 
their  functions.  The  purpose  of  this  Green  Paper  is  to  encourage  an  EU-wide  public  debate 
and  to  secure  views  on  the  future  of  forest  protection  and  information  policy,  as  well  as  to 
provide elements for a possible update of the EU Forestry Strategy on climate related aspects.  

The European Institutions and all those interested – organisations or private individuals – are 
invited to submit their comments on the questions set out in the Green Paper as well as on any 
other  issues  concerning  forest  protection  and  information  that  they  wish  to  raise.  The 
consultation process will be articulated as follows: 

A web-based public consultation will be open until 31 July 2010. 

The Commission will organise a workshop and a stakeholders meeting on this Green Paper in 
Brussels in June 2010. 

The Commission will publish the stakeholders' contributions on Internet and will provide its 
own feedback of the main outcomes of the consultation. 

The  results  of  the  public  consultation  will  help  shape  the  further  work  of  the  Commission 
regarding  the  contribution  the  EU  can  make  to  forest  protection  under  a  changing  climate, 
including the information required to achieve this.  

86 

In  this  context,  "harmonized"  has  to  be  understood  in  the  sense  of  making  the  information  systems 
output comparable and compatible, and not rendering uniform field procedures. 

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MS  and  concerned  stakeholders  are  kindly  requested  to  submit  their  replies  to  the  Green 
Paper by 31 July 2010 at the latest. The replies should be sent to the following address: 

By mail: 

European Commission 

Directorate General for Environment 

Unit B1: Forest, Soil and Agriculture 

BU-9 04/029 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium 

By e-mail: 

ENV-U43-sector-forest@ec.europa.eu 

It  is  important  to  read  the  specific  privacy  statement  attached  to  this  consultation  for 
information  on  how  your  personal  data  and  contribution  will  be  dealt  with.  Professional 
organisations  are  invited  to  register  in  the  Commission  register  for  Interest  Representatives 
(http://:ec.europa.eu/transparency/regrin).  This  register  was  set  up  in  the  framework  of  the 
European  Transparency  Initiative  with  a  view  to  provide  the  Commission  and  the  public  at 
large with information about the objectives, funding and structures of interest representatives. 

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