Committee of
Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety I
Europe’s Green Lung - Forests cover around 35% of Europe’s land area and are one of its most valuable environmental and economic assets. The European Forest Strategy has reached is half-way mark and is up for an evaluation. What steps can Europe take to protect its forests, while also reaping the economic benefits of the forestry sector?
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Introduction
Forests are fundamental to the Earth and its inhabitants. Not only a source of inspiration and recreation, trees purify the air we breathe, filter the water we drink and use, prevent erosion and act as a buffer against climate change.
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In Europe, forests cover around 35% of the land area. Living forests are an integral part of the Earth's climate system. Trees soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their trunks, roots, leaves, and forest soils, creating so-called carbon stocks where more than one trillion tonnes of carbon are currently stored. They also provide natural resources such as food, medicine, timber, and fuel. Forests are home to 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity and 300 million people live in forests worldwide.
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Forests also provide valuable resources for economic development. The Earth loses around the size of 27 football fields of forest area every minute due to deforestation. The land is then subsequently used for farming, plantation, the construction of roads, housing, and other urban purposes.
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Deforestation is considered to be one of the main contributing factors to global climate change due to its impact on the global carbon cycle. The deforestation of trees not only lessens the amount of carbon stored, but also through later manufacturing releases carbon dioxide, one of the the most prevalent greenhouse gases, into the air. Furthermore, clear-cutting of tropical rainforests adds more CO2 to the Earth’s atmosphere than the sum total of cars and trucks on the world’s roads. Other effects of deforestation are the loss of habitats for plants and animals, the extinction of species, disruption of the global water cycle, and the erosion of soil, leading to a worsening of local water quality.
Forestry
Timber
Wood prepared for construction, processed into beams and planks.
Key terms
Forest degradation
The process by which the biological wealth of a forest is diminished and its capacity to provide ecosystem services such as carbon storage and natural resources is reduced due to man-made and environmental changes.
Af-, De- & Re-forestation
Afforestation - the planting of trees on previously un-forested land.
Reforestation - the planting of trees on land which has been forested before.
Deforestation - the permanent removal of forests in order to make the land available for other purposes including farming, ranching,housing and urbanisation, as well as harvesting timber to create commercial items such as paper, furniture, homes and oils.
Illegal loging
illegal practices relating to the harvesting, processing, transportation and trade of timber and timber products.
Carbon Stocks
Amount of carbon stored in the forest ecosystems of the world, mainly in living biomass and soil but also to a lesser extent in dead wood and litter. Carbon stocks are closely tied to forest biomass, meaning that factors that increase the rates of tree growth subsequently increase rates of carbon storage within forests.
Main conflicts
Forests are one of the most mismanaged resources in the world. In many cases, many of their environmental benefits are not considered while purely focusing on economic value.
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On the one hand, forests are the natural environment for least 80 percent of the world’s remaining terrestrial biodiversity and have a major impact on the regulation of global climate. They also help to preserve the fertility of soil, ensure pure water supply and reduce the risk of natural disasters such as floods and landslides. Deforestation threatens biodiversity, the ecological benefits provided by forests and the livelihoods of rural communities..
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On the other hand, forests also have economic significance. Forest-based industries represent about 7% of EU manufacturing GDP, for example through the production and processing of wood and timber. Additionally, the EU is the second biggest importer of agricultural products resulting from deforestation.
It is crucial to mention the employment provided by the forestry sector.. Over 3 million Europeans work in the forest sector, although European forests comprise only 13% of the regional total. There are nearly five times more jobs linked to each hectare of forest in Europe than the regional average. The importance of forest-related jobs is particularly significant in remote areas where there are few economic alternatives. These figures do not include the increasing number of people who work in other forest-related sectors such as tourism, conservation of biodiversity, education, recreation or government. The true value of forests in terms of employment is much higher than is encompassed in forestry sector.
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Forests can help meet the growing demands for food, biofuel, fibre, housing and other bio-products. Wood is a renewable source of energy. To meet a growing global energy demand, forest resources are inefficiently exploited and forests are clear-cut to pave the way for biofuel crops (e.g. wheat, corn, soybeans and sugarcane).
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Illegal logging is another issue in the forestry sector that needs to be addressed. It is a major driver of deforestation around the world. Illegal logging and the related trade occurs where national or regional laws are broken at any point along the supply chain.
Stakeholders
Forest-related manufacturing industries
Play an integral role in the forest-related economic development of today. Responsible for the effective use of resources and methods, forest-based industries represent about 7% of EU manufacturing GDP. In 2011, they had a combined production value of €460 billion, with a total added value of €135 billion on a turnover of €485 billion.
Promotes the interests of timber trade across Europe. It represents the national federations of importers, distributors and merchants. The ETTF communicates with governmental bodies, engages with NGOs and ensures the development of sustainable forestry practices.
A global partnership of governments, businesses, civil society, and indigenous peoples. It is focused on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, the sustainable management of forests, conservation and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks (activities commonly referred to as REDD+). This is a great example of how governments, the private sector and NGOs are working together to tackle this issue.
Measures in place
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The new EU Forest Strategy - Adopted in September 2013, it provides a framework in which to address the increasing demands placed on forests and the significant political and societal changes that affect forests. The strategy addresses aspects of the way forest resources are used and managed to generate goods and services.
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The common agricultural policy (CAP) - Launched in 1962, CAP is designed as a partnership between civil society and the agricultural industry. This is the main source of EU funds for forests. Some 90% of EU funding for forests comes from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). The measure covers investment in the development of forested areas and improvement of the effective managing of forests. This measure is intended to provide rewards for forestry, conservation of forests, environmental and climate services.
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The United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (the UN-REDD Programme) - Created in 2008, the main goal of this programme is to reduce emissions from deforestation and enhance carbon stocks in forests.
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Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan - Published in 2003, the FLEGT Action Plan is an EU initiative setting out measures available to the EU and its Member States to address illegal logging in the world's forests. The plan aims to support timber-producing countries, promote trade in legal timber, promote environmentally and socially beneficial public policies, support private-sector initiatives, safeguard investments and finances using existing or new legislation and address the problem of conflict timber.
NGO's
Forestry organisations that provide information and encourage responsible use of forests; They aim to unite people or organisations interested in the forest sector. They generally try to preserve, analyse or monitor the environment and provide people with information and calls for action. Examples of NGOs active in the forestry sector are Earth Restoration Service and Carbon Trade Watch.
The European Commission & Member States
Develops proposals for legislation to meet goals proposed in EU initiatives, e.g., removal of illegal timber from the European market. Although this unfortunately was not effective, the Commission develops other initiatives to meet the objectives set out in various Action Plans.
In the European Union, the formulation of forest policies is a competence of Member States.
Key Questions & Further Research
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What are the main obstacles in the development of efficient forestry?
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How can the problem of illegal logging be tackled?
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How can models of forest restoration that are economically practicable be developed?
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How can degraded ecosystems be restored to meet the objectives of biodiversity preservation and sustainable livelihoods?
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How can we integrate sustainability into national and international law law and effectively regulate of trade?
An article on forests and economic development:
http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/forests/brief/forests-and-economic-development
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A publication discussing forests and economic development, particularly regarding the situation in the ECE region: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/timber/publications/SP-31WebSmall.pdf
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Some facts and figures on forests:
https://www.iucn.org/content/facts-and-figures-forests
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An article focusing on deforestation:
https://futurism.media/deforestation-causes-effects-and-solutions
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More information about the new The new EU Forest Strategy:
https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/forest/strategy_en​
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Why forest-based industries are important:
https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/raw-materials/industries/forest-based_en