CLIMB-FOREST – CLImate Mitigation and Bioeconomy pathways for sustainable FORESTry

Overview

A new external pageHorizon Europecall_made project is bringing together the latest research, data, modelling and forest management techniques to support forests in Europe. Eighteen organisations from across Europe are collaborating on the 4.5-year project CLIMB-FOREST. Working closely with the forestry sector and policy makers, CLIMB-FOREST aims to ensure Europe’s forests are resilient to the changing climate and support people and nature.

As a partner in CLIMB-FOREST, NARP will contribute to the work packages on forest management and wood products for a sustainable bioeconomy and an integrated assessment modelling of forest land use, management and environmental impacts for scenarios and policy pathways.

Planting trees and restoring forests can play an important role in mitigating the climate crisis. Under the external pageEuropean Green Dealcall_made, the external pageEU biodiversity strategy for 2030call_made commits to planting at least 3 billion additional trees in the EU by 2030.

However, forests are complex networks that require careful planning and management. Single-species or poorly planned forests can be more vulnerable to droughts, fires, insect attacks and the changing climate. If poorly planned, a forest will be less effective in mitigating the climate crisis and could in some cases result in negative impacts for biodiversity.

By applying data from forest research stations and satellites and adopting best practices, Europe’s new and existing forests can thrive and become robust and healthy. Healthy forests support a diverse range of plants and animals and can provide additional opportunities for local people such as tourism or sustainable wood harvesting.