Innovation for

European forestry
Creating resilient and multifunctional forests

funded by
 Table of contents

Innovation for European forestry 3

Forest monitoring for better management 4

Boosting the benefits of multifunctional forests 5

New value chains and opportunities in the bioeconomy 6

Thinking ahead: creating climate-smart forests 7

Infographic: Innovation for resilient and multifunctional forests 8

AGROSYL; Operational Group ‘Decline of the ‘Montado’ in Alentejano’; Operational Group Forest LidaRioja / José Luis
Pictures: AFINET; EIP-AGRI Service Point; Sille Koorberg; Operational Group AGREEGREEN; Operational Group

Tomé; ROSEWOOD - European Network of Regions on Sustainable Wood Mobilisation; Shutterstock.

This brochure has been produced within the framework of the European
Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability
(EIP-AGRI), which was launched by the European Commission to promote
innovation in the agricultural and forestry sectors and to better connect
research and practice.
Brochure ‘Innovation for European forestry’, December 2019

The brochure follows up on the work of the EIP-AGRI Focus Groups on

‘Sustainable mobilisation of forest biomass’, ‘New forest practices and
This is an EIP-AGRI Service Point publication

tools for adaptation and mitigation of climate change’, ‘Agroforestry:

introducing woody vegetation into specialised crop and livestock systems’
More information: www.eip-agri.eu

and their respective reports. It also builds on the outcomes of the EIP-AGRI
workshop ‘New value chains from multifunctional forests’. All results from
these events can be found online via www.eip-agri.eu. For more details
on the Operational Groups and other innovative projects presented in
this brochure, please see the project database on the EIP-AGRI website.

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 Innovation for European forestry
The EU has almost 182 million hectares of forest European forests currently also face a number of
and wooded land, covering 43% of its land area. challenges, including the effects of climate change.
European forests offer a wide range of benefits for Foresters, forest owners and public authorities are
the environment, society and the economy. Resilient looking for sustainable solutions to storm damage
forests maintain valuable ecosystem services and or drought, pests and diseases, or the increasing
support biodiversity. They can mitigate the effects occurrence of forest fires.
of climate change by storing carbon in the soil,
providing clean air and better water flows, and
controlling erosion. Wood and by-products also offer
opportunities for producing energy and biobased
materials.

A number of EIP-AGRI Operational Groups and other innovative projects across Europe are exploring new
solutions to tackle forestry challenges. This includes using digital tools to map forest resources for more
sustainable management, improving value chains and developing management practices that tap into the
potential of multifunctional forests, and setting up networks to exchange knowledge and build resilient,
future-proof forests together.

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 Forest monitoring for better management
Forest areas represent one of Europe’s most important renewable resources. Digital technologies including
satellites, drones, LiDAR, and aerial photography can map forest resources in a detailed way. Accurate data
can help detect pests and diseases or other health issues due to storms or drought, and locate underutilised
biomass to support forest fire prevention. Forest owners, firefighters, public authorities and others can use
these detailed inventories to make informed decisions for more sustainable forest management and a more
efficient use of forest resources.

Monitoring forests through remote sensing in La Rioja

Operational Group ‘Forest LidaRioja’ uses remote The scans also deliver ‘fuel maps’ that give an up-
sensing technologies to map forests in the Spanish to-date overview of forest shrubs and undergrowth,
La Rioja region. The project uses satellite data and which is vital information in the fight against forest
LiDAR scans to create a highly detailed 3D model of fires. “Firefighters and contractors can see where to
the 130 million trees in the area, but also of shrubs apply preventive measures.”
and undergrowth.
The forest maps are
“Forest owners and regional authorities use our data freely available
to update the National Forest Map of La Rioja with through the website
information about the number of trees, biomass of the Government
and species in mixed forest”, says technical project of La Rioja or an
coordinator José Luis Tomé from lead partner application designed
Agresta. “It helps them to understand how the by the Operational
forests are evolving, and allows them to develop Group. José Luis sees
sustainable forest management plans.” benefits for the entire
sector: “The forest sector
The Operational Group’s partner from the wood can be very fragmented.
industry had noticed that the number of poplars Everyone is used to working in their own way, but
– the most important forest resource in La Rioja – the Operational Group gives us the opportunity
had been decreasing. José Luis explains: “Thanks to address these challenges as a team and find
to our analysis of the satellite and LiDAR data, solutions that are useful for all partners.”
they now have a cost-effective way to calculate
the actual wood supply, understand the evolution More information on www.forest-lidarioja.info
of the poplars in the region, and estimate future or in the EIP-AGRI database
availability.”

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 Boosting the benefits of multifunctional forests
The environmental benefits and ecosystem services that forests support cannot be underestimated.
Resilient forests sequester carbon, control erosion and protect biodiversity and water resources. Sustainable
practices such as agroforestry or silvopastoralism integrate forestry and woody vegetation into crop or
livestock systems. This can benefit the soil, the farm and animal welfare, and can also result in additional
income for the farmer or forest owner.

Trees as an asset in mountain livestock systems

Silvopastoralism, a form of agroforestry, combines instance shield pastures from the sun. It can also
crop and wood production with extensive help farmers reduce costs and diversify their income,
livestock grazing systems. The practice is found through undergrowth management, by selling forest
across Europe but could still benefit from further by-products for timber or energy, or by marketing
knowledge exchange between farmers, forest specific livestock breeds. The first results are
owners and breeders. “There is a high innovation positive, Mehdi says: “Many farmers have already
potential for these practices in mountainous grazing contacted us to get more details on the results and
systems”, says Mehdi Bounab, project coordinator of to see how they could set up silvopastoral practices
Operational Group AGROSYL. on their farms.”

AGROSYL has set up seven pilot sites at five More information in the EIP-AGRI database
participating farms in the Ariège region in the French
Pyrenees. In this area, climate extremes strongly
affect forage production. “We explore how farmers
Horizon 2020 Thematic Network
can increase forage autonomy and animal welfare on
the farm by integrating trees in their mountainous AFINET fosters knowledge ex-
grazing pastures”, Mehdi says. “Acorns can for change in the field of agroforestry.
instance serve as sheep fodder, white mulberry trees For more agroforestry inspiration,
produce green fodder in summer, and also forest browse the innovation leaflets and best
fruits can increase fodder autonomy. We are testing practices leaflets published by FP7 project
the effect of wood mulching from shredded branches AGFORWARD.
on animal welfare in the stables.”
More ways to develop profitable and
sustainable agroforestry systems?
This practice can make livestock systems more
Read the results from the EIP-AGRI Focus
resilient to climate change. Tree shade can for
Group on Agroforestry.

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 New value chains and opportunities in the bioeconomy
Wood, forest biomass and woody by-products are a major source of income for European forest owners
and the forestry industry. By improving existing value chains and by building new ones adapted to current
and future demands, forest resources can be optimally used. Processing forest biomass and woody by-
products into renewable materials or bioenergy can generate additional income for farmers and foresters.
Especially owners of small forests may need tools and support for this. Many of these non-fossil products
also contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

AGREEGREEN – Models for managing woody biomass

In a highly wooded region such as Umbria, Italy, actively The project has developed a software tool that
managing forests and woody biomass can prevent automates drafting contracts with others in the supply
forest fires, make forests more accessible, and increase chain and that calculates sales rates and costs. Another
their capacity to capture carbon. Forest biomass can tool helps companies identify potential sources of
also offer additional income when processed for biomass and choose the right mix for composting
bioenergy. Italian Operational Group AGREEGREEN biomass of low quality, which could otherwise create
is developing tools and models to optimise the problems in combustion. The resulting organic compost
wood supply chain, helping agricultural and forestry has a high agronomic value.
companies find the best ways to harvest and sell their
raw biomass. Diego continues: “The AGREEGREEN tools help
companies use and market biomass for energy
“Logistical problems can be an issue for efficient production, offering them an additional source of
forest resource supply chains”, says coordinator Diego income. Making biomass mobilisation profitable can
Rossi. “We work with companies that are interested also encourage the sustainable management of our
in enhancing by-products from sustainable forest forests, making full use of Umbrian wood resources.”
management, and biomass coming from agriculture
and from public and private green management. The More info on www.agreegreenproject-umbria.it
companies help us test tools that can allow them to or in the EIP-AGRI database
build appropriate logistical platforms.”

Finland is one of the leading countries for

innovations in wood-based products. This
includes packing solutions from wood fibres
as a new alternative to plastic or paper, and
technology for developing clothing from wood-
The ROSEWOOD network
based textile fibres.
connects people in the
forestry sector to advance The EIP-AGRI Focus Groups on Sustainable
sustainable wood mobilisation in Europe: mobilisation of forest biomass and Forest
https://rosewood-network.eu/ practices and climate change discussed more
ideas for revaluing forest residues.

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 Thinking ahead: creating climate-smart forests
The effects of climate change, including extreme weather events, drought, forest fires and damage through
pests and diseases pose a major challenge to our forests. Innovative practices and tools for forest management
are needed to ensure that forests can adapt to climate change.

Decision support tools can give forest owners insight into the future conditions of their forests – allowing
them to predict risks or choose species and varieties that are better adapted to the expected climate. Also
genetic resources are increasingly important in the search for trees that can cope with the effects of climate
change, and that are for instance more resilient to specific pests and diseases.

Decline of the ‘Montado’ forests in Alentejo

Portuguese ‘Montado’ oak forests are traditional that have a suppressive effect on the disease”, says
agroforestry systems where trees are combined researcher Ana Cristina Moreira from project partner
with agricultural or pastoral activities. Especially INIAV. “Our first results show that the herbaceous
in southern areas, the undergrowth of the mixture may reduce the activity of P. cinnamomi in
Montado forests is managed by free-ranging ‘Porco the soils of the Montado forests, and could protect
Alentejano’, a local pig breed that lives on a diet of the roots of the trees from infection.”
acorns. For local farmers this means an income
through cork from the trees, tree produce for feed, “An increase in plant biomass and organic material
or animal breeding. in the pasture soils could also improve soil quality
and fertility, water retention, biodiversity, and the
The cork oak and holm oak trees in the Alentejo area growth of the trees. The herbs can be sown on large
have been increasingly affected by Phytophthora areas, while providing pasture. Farmers will be happy
cinnamomi, a pseudo-fungus that causes root rot. to see that this may benefit tree health as well as
The mortality of the slow-growing oak trees is acorn production.”
forming a serious threat to the preservation of the
Montado ecosystem. Higher temperatures due to More information in the EIP-AGRI database
climate change are causing the disease to expand
fast across Europe, especially in the Mediterranean
area.

An Operational Group is testing whether herbaceous

crops in the Montado pastures can help mitigate
the disease and reduce its activity in the soil. “We
will be sowing pastures improved with plant species

Several decision support systems for the forestry

sector can help forest owners adapt to climate
change, select species, check ground conditions
and future climate conditions.

The French RMT AFORCE network speeds up know-

ledge exchange, shares decision support tools
and fosters innovations to adapt forests to
Discover more forest-based Operational Groups
climate change.
in the EIP-AGRI project database.

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Infographic: Innovation for resilient and multifunctional forests

CHALLENGES FOR FOREST MANAGEMENT !?

Drought Damage Pests & Forest fires

diseases

SOLUTIONS THROUGH INNOVATIVE PRACTICES

00750

01234

21663

01781

Forest monitoring Agroforestry Decision New value chains

Silvopastoralism support tools Bioeconomy

BENEFITS FOR MULTIFUNCTIONAL AND RESILIENT FORESTS

Clean air and

water flows Biodiversity Carbon storage Erosion control More income

Join the EIP-AGRI network at www.eip-agri.eu funded by