The European Commission is set to release its new forest strategy on 20 July, and the European industrial forestry lobby is pushing hard for it to focus on their narrow short-term financial interests. The undersigned organisations call on the Commission to stand strong and ensure the Strategy signals a shift towards nature protection and action to tackle the climate crisis.
European forests are in a dire state
Increased harvesting and clear cuts mean that Europe’s forests are absorbing 15 per cent less carbon dioxide than they were 20 years ago. And things are getting worse. Healthy biodiverse forests are being replaced by monocultures: an area larger than Greece (14.5 million hectares) is now covered by tree-plantations. If current management practices continue, by 2050 the EU forest sink will be halved.
The forest strategy must support people, nature and the climate, and not bow to industry pressure
European forests are in a dire state
Increased harvesting and clear cuts mean that Europe’s forests are absorbing 15 per cent less carbon dioxide than they were 20 years ago. And things are getting worse. Healthy biodiverse forests are being replaced by monocultures: an area larger than Greece (14.5 million hectares) is now covered by tree-plantations. If current management practices continue, by 2050 the EU forest sink will be halved.
The forest strategy must support people, nature and the climate, and not bow to industry pressure