16 June 2011
State of Europe’s Forests 2011 Report Launched
story highlights

"State of Europe's Forests 2011: Status and Trends in Sustainable Forest Management in Europe" indicates that, inter alia: forests cover one billion hectares in Europe, 80% of which are in the Russian Federation; European forests are expanding and remove the equivalent of about 10% of European greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; and the sector provides four million jobs and accounts for 1% of the region's GDP.

14 June 2011: The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Forest Europe have collaborated to produce “State of Europe’s Forests 2011: Status and Trends in Sustainable Forest Management in Europe,” launched during the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (or FOREST EUROPE) held in Oslo, Norway from 14-16 June 2011.

The report is based on detailed information provided by countries. The main findings of the report include that: forests cover one billion hectares in Europe, 80% of which are in the Russian Federation; European forests are expanding and remove the equivalent of about 10% of European greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; most Europeans think that their forests are shrinking; the sector provides four million jobs and accounts for 1% of the region’s GDP; low carbon-nitrogen ratios in forest soils will be problematic in several locations; and most countries have explicit objectives on forest-related carbon.

Authors of the report developed a draft method to assess European forests’ sustainability, which while not yet peer-reviewed, identifies a number of threats and challenges, including: landscape fragmentation; a shrinking and aging workforce; negative net revenues of several forest enterprises; and mobilizing enough wood for energy while reconciling biodiversity values and the needs of the traditional wood sectors. [Publication: State of Europe’s Forests 2011 Report] [Climate Change Policy & Practice Story on FOREST EUROPE] [IISD RS Coverage of FOREST EUROPE]

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