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FOREST4EU

Connecting forestry and agroforestry partnerships across Europe

NEWSLETTER – ISSUE #2 | November 2024

 

The FOREST4EU consortium is delighted to introduce its second newsletter edition.  

This newsletter reports the latest news and developments of the project that have occurred from February 2024 up to November 2024 – hence the main results achieved, and activities performed during the second year of the project.
  

FOREST4EU – European innovation partnership network promoting operational group dedicated to forestry and agroforestry is a Horizon Europe project aiming at connecting existing Operational Groups (OGs) from different countries around Europe, in order to favour the transfer of knowledge and best practices between experts in this field.

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CONTENTS

  1. Introduction to the project
  2. Policy focus groups (Central Europe, South-East Europe, South-West Europe)
  3. Capacity building material 
  4. Events (national workshops, conferences)
  5. Other activities (cooperation with other projects)
  6. Future activities

1. Introduction to the project

 

Across Europe, many Operational Groups (OGs) are driving innovation in forestry and agroforestry. These small projects, led by farmers, forest managers, and local communities, share a common goal: advancing sustainable practices and finding new ways to work. 

OGs are extremely important for the forestry and agroforestry sectors’ development, but their impact often remains confined to local and regional levels. To bridge this gap and spread knowledge across Europe, FOREST4EU has created a network connecting OGs from nine member states. 

Our mission is to foster the exchange of knowledge and best practices among forestry and agroforestry experts. 

The project established 5 different Innovation Topic Hubs:  

  • Wood mobilization 

  • Forest adaptation to climate change 

  • Improved sustainable forest management tools 

  • Non-wood forest products 

  • Agroforestry 

By working together, we can accelerate progress, share successful strategies, and build a more sustainable future for our forests and communities.

2. Policy Focus Groups (PFGs)

 
2.1 Central Europe

The inaugural policy focus group (PFG) for Central Europe convened on March 13, 2024, organized by StMELF-LWF. Dr. Kathrin Böhling from LWF provided an overview of EIP-AGRI Operational Groups within the European Agricultural Policy. Several operational groups (OGs) focusing on forestry and agroforestry were highlighted, such as " eGodz " and " Bee Forest". While "eGodz " focus on a forest management tool called "Moj Godzar", "Bee Forest" aims to establish a new forest in Hesse, Germany, with diverse outputs. The meeting emphasized the interplay between policy and innovation in forestry and agroforestry, noting the significance of European Green Deal goals while addressing national-level challenges related to forestry, rural development, and the environment. A total of 22 participants from various sectors attended the meeting. 
 

The second PFG for Central Europe, held on July 10, 2024 and convened by StMELF-LWF, focused on a survey conducted by Dr. Kathrin Böhling that revealed limited awareness among respondents regarding government innovation programs in forestry and agroforestry. The meeting then explored the key roles of governments and markets in driving innovation. Government funding was identified as crucial for long-term planning and innovation, while knowledge transfer within stakeholder networks and market investment opportunities were highlighted as essential factors. Participants included representatives from the ForForestInnovation project in Styria and Future Forest Initiative from Germany's Harz region, along with 13 individuals from four countries (Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Romania) representing ministries, forest administrations, research institutions, and forest owners. 



2.2 South-East Europe

The first PFG for South-East Europe, organized by CEKOM on March 27, 2024, focused on knowledge sharing and successful OGs. Croatia's CAP representative, Tajana Radić from the Croatian Agricultural Chamber, discussed forestry and EU funds. The meeting highlighted the lack of rural funding measures for OGs and explored alternative funding options. Good practice examples from Italy and Slovenia were shared, and Germany's Bavarian State Ministry presented their OG experience in forestry and agroforestry. The meeting concluded with plans to create a letter to revise the strategic plan and include forestry and agroforestry sectors. 

                  

Figure 1. Danijela Šarić Bartolović from CEKOM.
 

The second PFG for South-East Europe, organized by CEKOM on May 28, 2024, discussed innovation in forestry and its relevance for EIP-Agri OGs. A representative from Herzeg-Bosnia presented the funding situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Dr. Maria Rosa Mosquera Losada from USC (Spain) shared a video presentation about CAP. Twelve PFG experts from South-East Europe participated, fostering discussions on innovation possibilities in forestry and agroforestry. The meeting explored potential innovations to enhance solutions in the sector and identified key drivers for innovation. 



2.3 South-West Europe

The first PFG for South-West Europe, held on April 29, 2024, convened by USC, started with a discussion on the European Green Deal and its implications for the forestry and agroforestry sectors. The event highlighted the limited support for these sectors in the region, as evidenced by the low number of Operational Groups (OGs) dedicated to them. The discussion then turned to CAP 2023-2027, emphasizing the need for increased investment in OGs to support the forestry system. The meeting also explored the connection between CAP objectives and agroecology principles, highlighting their social and technical aspects. 

The second PFG for South-West Europe, held on October 30, 2024, and organized by USC, on innovation in the forestry sector. The FOREST4EU survey revealed that climate change, biodiversity loss, and bioeconomy are the primary drivers for innovation in this area. The meeting explored the role of government and markets, emphasizing the need for stronger collaboration between local communities and governments for research investment. The event also presented an overview of innovations in forestry and agroforestry from OGs in South-West Europe, highlighting the diversity of ecosystems, management practices, and policies across EU Member States. The meeting concluded with a call for fostering innovation and developing an advisory system for sustainable value chains.

 

Figure 2. Second policy focus group for South-West Europe

3. Capacity Building Material

Since the main aim of the FOREST4EU project is to connect OGs around Europe and favour the transference of knowledge and relevant innovations in the field of forestry and agroforestry, one of the most important efforts carried out by the project partners was the production of Capacity Building Material (CBM). The CBM consists of a series of technical reports available and downloadable from the project website, several videos uploaded on the project YouTube channel and articles were published in different journals and magazines and made available in the project website. All these materials present the innovations developed by the OGs and that can be categorized in five Hubs: wood mobilisation; forest adaptation to climate change; sustainable forest management; non-wood forests products and agroforestry. On the YouTube channel, each video is available with subtitles in different languages while the technical reports are available in the project website also in several European languages. 
 

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4. Events

4.1 National Workshops

Nine National Workshops (in person, online and hybrid) were organized by the project partners in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Croatia, Germany, Slovenia, Latvia and Finland. Starting on February 29th, 2024, with Croatia, at each of the nine workshops, project partners showcased the ten most promising innovations previously selected in collaboration with national experts. The workshops included a feedback session where stakeholders rated the innovations and provided insights on the preferred formats, channels, and target audiences for disseminating the innovations and good practices. The results from all the nine National Workshop were collected and combined and the innovation and good practices sorted out. This exercise resulted in  the identification of 59 innovations as the most relevant for making tailored capacity building material.  

Figure 3. National workshop Portugal


4.2 Conferences and other events

The first cross-project event named “INNOVAForONE was organized in Valladolid, Spain, from 17th to 19th of April 2024. This event hosted two poster sessions (more than 50 posters) and 25 speakers, involving 5 EU Forestry Networking initiatives, and 5 EU funded projects, representing a great opportunity for ideas and results exchange and increasing collaboration. The counted with the participation of 125 attendants from 12 countries. During this event, the National Prioritization Workshop for Spain, and the Regional Policy Focus Group of the EUFORE project were held.  

Figure 4. "INNOVAForONE" Conference

The European CAP Network Conference “EIP-AGRI Operational Groups: Innovation in practice, took place in Estoril, Portugal, on from 6th to 8th of May 2024. The conference was dedicated to the Operational Groups in EU Member States sharing knowledge and solutions to overcome challenges. During the second day of conference, Dr. Ana Ventura from SOLUTOPUS, partner of FOREST4EU, presented the project focussing on examples of innovations developed by the different OGs.
 
DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION HERE.

                                                  
Figure 5. EU CAP Network Conference

Held at Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic, during 28-31 May 2024, the 7th European Agroforestry Conference (EURAF) 2024 placed under the topic Agroforestry – regenerating landscapes and diversifying production in Europe. With an ever-increasing number of European countries involved (25 countries so far, including Ukraine and Israel), EURAF has become a full player in the European agriculture lobbying scene. Despite proven benefits for climate, ecosystems, and rural jobs, agroforestry adoption lags in Europe. FOREST4EU tackles this gap. Analyzing innovations from local Operational Groups, this project identifies solutions to support farmers and EU policy for a thriving European agroforestry sector.

DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION HERE.

           
Figure 6. EURAF Conference

ERIAFF 10th annual conference of 2024 (10th to 13th of June), was held in Seinäjoki (Finland). The Network of European Regions for Innovation in Agriculture, Food, and Forestry (ERIAFF) is an informal association of regional authorities, established in 2012 in Florence, Italy. It includes 53 member regions and 39 observers from 21 European countries. ERIAFF enables members to collaborate on shared interests through thematic working groups led by dedicated members. Participation is free and voluntary. The first day of the conference saw the participation of various speakers that addressed political-related topics, and participated in different thematic sessions on resilience and sustainability. In this context Dr. Francesca Giannetti from the University of Florence (Coordinator of the FOREST4U project) held a presentation explaining what the project is about and the importance of the innovations developed by the OGs to increase forest resilience. 

DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION HERE.

                                 
Figure 7. ERIAFF Conference

On 27.07.2024, Dr. Kathrin Böhling from LFW participated to the 26th IUFRO World Congress in Stokholm. The congress, aimed to bring together experts, policy makers, forest managers and others to exchange knowledge, visions and points of views to tackle today’s problematics about climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental pollution, and many other topics. In this context Dr. Böhling presented the results of an innovation survey conducted as part of the FOREST4EU project and that explored what can be done in terms of development of the innovations in the forest sector, targeting different types of stakeholders.

DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION HERE.

 

During the last 25th of September Ana Maria Ventura from SOLUTOPUS, participated to the event launched under the RefreSCAR project Agroforestry in Europe, where she had the chance to present FOREST4EU. On this joint event organised by RefreSCAR and actors of the EU CAP Network, many projects were presented to discuss the challenges and share the knowledge in the field of forestry and agroforestry.

DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION HERE.
 

From November 4 to 7, Francesca Giannetti, coordinator of FOREST4EU from UNIFI, along with project partners from the European Forest Institute (EFI) — Mercedes Caron — and CESEFOR — Aida Rodriguez and Riccardo Castellini — presented the FOREST4EU project and its most significant results for the Mediterranean region at the 8th Mediterranean Forest Week. This biennial event serves as a platform for cooperation among researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders, fostering dialogue on the challenges faced by Mediterranean forests. During the event, the project partners engaged with various stakeholders from Mediterranean countries, presented the FOREST4EU project along with its past and future activities, and informed participants about the most relevant innovations for the region, particularly those related to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
5. Other activities

5.1 Cooperation with other projects

FOREST4EU project is currently collaborating with other Horizon projects to increase visibility and optimize the projects’ efforts, and favour synergies by sharing the scientific knowledge to raise awareness and help the forest and agroforestry sector to mitigate the impacts of climate change, working on sustainability. Particularly, a strong cooperation has been set with: OptFor-EU, EUFORE, EU-FarmBook, ONEforest, BBioNets, SMURF, AF4EU, Soil-X-Change, ResAlliance, PREMIERE, and ERIAFF.
These collaborations seek to exchange best practices, project results, and research findings to increase visibility of the OGs' innovative approaches to climate change mitigation and ecosystem service enhancement. By valorizing the entire value chain of forests and the forest-based sector in Europe, the main aim is to stimulate knowledge flow and drive innovation in landscape resilience

Click here to find out more
6. Future activities

The next FOREST4EU review meeting at the end of November will face past and future activities.
On 11 – 12 February 2025, the
6th edition of the Forest Innovation Workshop will be held, and will see the collaboration between the ERIAFF network, FOREST4EU, and OptFor-EU, enhancing the joint activities that must be achieved within the project lifetime, strengthening the cooperation between different projects and ensuring knowledge sharing.

Furthermore, five international study visits will take place in five different European countries between April and July 2025. Each study visit will last three days and will be dedicated to one of the five different ITHubs (Wood mobilization, Forest adaptation to climate change, Sustainable Forest management and Ecosystem services, Non-wood forest products, Agroforestry systems). The study visit will be targeting different OGs that were selected by the local stakeholders during the National Workshops. The visits are intended to be a chance for foreign practitioners to learn more from Operational Groups, and later adapt and use the knowledge acquired in their own countries while promoting OGs multi-actor approach and the development of innovations in the forestry and agroforestry sectors. FOREST4EU project launched the official study visits call on LinkedIn where it is possible to register on one of the five different ITHub-related study visits.
 
Discover more about the study visits
Find out more about the partners
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Funded by the European Union (Grant n. 101086216). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or REA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
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