C 152/172
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
6.4.2022
3.
Specific comments: the role of forests in climate change and biodiversity 3.1.
Forests play a considerable role in natural processes: in controlling the cycles of carbon, water and nutrients, in soil formation, and in maintaining biodiversity.
On the other hand, forests themselves are remarkably vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. 3.2.
In the EU, total forest area and the area of protected forests have increased in the last decades, wood increment exceeds felling, and forests are a major carbon sink (2).
By contrast, deforestation is continuing at the global level — especially in tropical areas — turning these forests into a source of emissions and contributing significantly to ongoing loss of biodiversity (3).
The EESC thus emphasises the need also to consider the role of forests on a global scale and calls on the EU to actively promote the global implementation of international agreements that contribute to the protection and sustainable use of forests. 3.3.
Forests and the forest-based bioeconomy play a multiple role in climate change mitigation: through the sequestration and storage of carbon and through the substitution of fossil-based raw-materials, energy and products.
It follows that there are synergies and trade-offs between various measures (4).
The EESC therefore highlights the need to consider all these mechanisms in a holistic way when seeking the most sustainable solutions for achieving a post-fossil-fuel economy. 3.4.
Carbon sequestration is not just a matter of forest land area but is primarily one of forest growth and vigorous photosynthesis.
In addition to afforestation and reforestation, the active management, use and renewal of forests are therefore essential to harnessing the potential of forests as a carbon sink. 3.5.
The role of forests in carbon storage is also manifold, as carbon is stored not only in trees and soil, but also in wood-based products.
Long-lasting wood products such as buildings and high-quality furniture are the most effective in this sense.
Shorter-living forest-based products also retain their carbon content, as long as they are recycled.
Moreover, when forest-based renewable feedstocks are used to substitute fossil ones, the release of carbon from fossil storage is avoided. 3.6.
The EESC also calls for the vulnerability of forests to climate change and need for adaptation to be thoroughly addressed, as warming transforms the conditions of trees and all organisms and is accompanied by forest disasters caused by increased drought, fires, storms and pests.
On the other hand, forests contribute to climate change adaptation by providing protection against erosion, landslides and floods. 3.7.
Forests, including managed forests, are also crucial to biodiversity, as they provide the habitats of most terrestrial biodiversity.
Biodiversity can be sustained in various ways: through protecting endangered species, through creating protected areas with limited or no human activities allowed in them, or through implementing forest management practices that enable biodiversity to be maintained alongside the socioeconomic use of forests. 3.8.
Considering that the majority of forests are managed, the EESC highlights the significance of an integrated approach to forest management and biodiversity protection, which enables the multiple functions of forests to be combined.
The Committee recognises the market-based and voluntary biodiversity protection and carbon sequestration measures by forest owners and endorses the exploration and development of crediting schemes for such measures. 3.9.
Both the carbon sequestration capacity and biodiversity of forests vary considerably across the Member States.
The differences are partly related to different natural conditions and partly stem from the mode of forest management and use over time.
The need to protect and restore forests thus also varies across the EU, which must be recognised when determining the forests to be restored or protected. 3.10.
The EESC encourages continuing research into the physical, chemical and biological processes of forests and the linkages between climate change, forest ecosystems and human activities, so as to ensure that forest management practices are based on sound science.
It is also important to systematically monitor and share data on the state of forests, making full use of digital tools and systems, while ensuring adequate data protection and reliability. 3.11.
The EESC endorses the initiative of planting 3 billion trees as a practical demonstration project, including proper planning of sites and species, allocation of human and financial resources, planting, management, and close monitoring of developments and results.
This afforestation must not result in competition with land use for food production or ignore the need to maintain an open landscape in some places.
(2) (3) (4)
https://forest.eea.europa.eu/news/summary-for-policy-makers-state-of-europe2019s-forests-2020 http://www.fao.org/state-of-forests/en/ https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/science-update/forest-based-bioeconomy-and-climate-change-mitigation-trade-offs-and-synergies