European forests

The Enterprise Europe Network informs:
11/17/2023

The European Commission wants to close information gaps on European forests with a new law on forest monitoring. It is intended to create a comprehensive knowledge base on forests so that EU states, forest owners and forest managers can respond better to the increasing pressure on European forests. These need to be made more resilient to threats such as pests, droughts and forest fires, which climate change is further exacerbating.

In 2022, almost 900,000 hectares of land burned in the EU, which is roughly the size of Corsica. This makes 2022 the second worst year since the European Forest Fire Information System began monitoring in 2000; the worst was 2017 with 1.3 million hectares burned.

The monitoring framework will enable the collection and exchange of up-to-date and comparable forest data obtained through a combination of Earth observation technology and ground-based measurements. Building on existing national systems, this will provide data and knowledge for decision-making and policy implementation. Currently, the available information on the state of forests and the use of forest resources and services is rather scattered, incomplete and often outdated.

The framework will contribute to the creation of integrated forest governance by strengthening cooperation between Member States and encouraging them to develop long-term plans for their forests. The proposal does not introduce any new direct administrative requirements for companies, forest owners and forest managers.

Find out more about the new monitoring framework here .

Source: European Commission