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FOREST4EU

 

Connecting forestry and agroforesty partnerships across Europe

 

Newsletter - Issue #3 | July 2025

 

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

This newsletter reports the latest news and developments of the project that have occurred from December 2024 up to July 2025 – 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. The project
  2. Policy Focus Groups - Third and last meetings
  3. Study Visits
  4. Call for B2B events
  5. Future activities

1. 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 - Third and last meetings


The FOREST4EU project has successfully concluded its Policy Focus Groups (PFGs), fostering crucial dialogues on innovation in forestry and agroforestry across Europe. These three groups, active throughout 2024, gathered invaluable insights from various stakeholders, including government authorities, associations, research institutions, and practitioners.

2.1. South-East Europe


 

In South-East Europe, the focus was on how the forest sector can be innovative by improving forest management, adapting new technologies, enhancing practices, supporting ecology, and increasing adaptive capacity. The third meeting specifically facilitated cross-country exchange, using Greece and Serbia as examples to discuss opportunities and challenges for funding forestry and agroforestry projects. Participants emphasized the continuous adaptation to new technologies and methods to sustainably manage forest resources, optimize timber production, and protect the environment, while also highlighting the importance of alignment with the entire forest ecosystem's needs. The discussions revealed that countries in this macro-region often have limited or no prior experience with forestry and agroforestry operational groups.
 

2.2. Central Europe


 

For Central Europe, the perception of an innovative forest sector revolved around increasing its ability to adapt to changes, improving management practices, and breaking away from rigid, traditional structures. Knowledge transfer, including adopting input from other countries and quickly implementing scientific findings, was also seen as vital. The innovation survey revealed that key drivers for innovation include climate change, knowledge transfer, and society's changing demands. However, discussions identified significant barriers for the uptake of EIP-Agri Operational Groups, such as administrative burden, complex application procedures, detailed financial planning requirements, and limited support from government authorities. Group members shared their concern that government authorities seem to have little interest in utilizing the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) for forestry.  The fact that forestry matters at EU level have shifted from DG Agri to DG ENV over the last years, makes it difficult to convince government authorities in Member State of the opportunities for forestry in the CAP-based EIP-Agri measure.

2.3. South-West Europe

 

In South-West Europe, innovation in the forest sector was broadly seen as a combination of enhanced management practices and the adoption of new technologies as a means to achieve them. Sustainability was often considered alongside the economic use of forest resources. The third meeting explored the state of OGs from a practice-based perspective, highlighting main drivers and barriers. Key drivers for successful OGs included strong partnerships, a bottom-up approach that responds to farmers' and foresters' needs, and effective communication and dissemination strategies. However, significant barriers were identified, such as a lack of skills or motivation among partners, ineffective coordination, administrative burdens including complex reporting rules and slow payments, and strict call criteria. Participants proposed solutions like establishing pre-payment systems and increasing budget flexibility to overcome funding delays, reducing bureaucracy through simplified administrative processes, and improving regional governance for greater transparency. Fostering cooperation, particularly cross-border and cross-sector collaboration, was deemed crucial, with suggestions for establishing knowledge exchange networks, peer-to-peer learning, and interactive workshops to ensure practical knowledge transfer.

3. Capacity building Material

 

Our Capacity Building Material (CBM), consisting of technical reports, articles, and videos that contain crucial information collected by the project partners from OGs working in forestry and agroforestry across Europe, is constantly updated with new material elaborated by the project partners.
Factsheets have also been developed and now available on our comprehensive website. They have been uploaded to various repositories, depending on the ITHub they belong to: 

You can explore both factsheets and CBM on our website by clicking the below button. 
 
Discover more

4. Study visits


4.1. Alcacer do Sal, Portugal (22 - 24 April 2025)


In April, the FOREST4EU project embarked on an insightful International Study Visit to Portugal, immersing partners and stakeholders in the exciting advancements of agroforestry system* within the ITHub 5 Agroforestry framework. The visit, focused on the iconic Montado ecosystems of cork and holm oaks, offered firsthand exposure to successful initiatives across the landscape. We explored a diverse range of innovative projects, from optimizing grazing and monitoring tree health with cutting-edge tech to enhancing nutrient management, tackling natural regeneration, and developing sustainable pest control. These efforts showcased the proactive and inventive spirit driving Portuguese agroforestry. The knowledge gained will significantly contribute to FOREST4EU’s broader mission: to facilitate the exchange and adoption of valuable innovations across Europe, strengthening the resilience, sustainability, and economic viability of forest and agroforestry systems continent-wide.

4.2. Leon, Spain

A recent study visit to Spain, organized by Cesefor as part of the FOREST4EU project, offered valuable insights into operational groups in non-wood forest products (ITHub 4). These groups, particularly strong in Italy, Portugal, and Spain, are crucial for addressing challenges and finding innovative solutions within the sector.

Discussions during the visit highlighted the importance of combating pathogenic microorganisms like Gnomoniopsis castaneae and chestnut blight. Attendees learned about the dedicated work of the Asociación Berciana De Agricultores (ABA) in restoring and managing chestnut forests, including innovations in chestnut cultivation such as using portable shredders to produce biochar, biogas, or bio-oil. The visit also showcased the MICOCYL program in Castilla y León, which focuses on managing mycological resources. A key takeaway emphasized the need for greater professionalization within the non-wood forest products (NWFP) sector and the vital role of knowledge exchange to foster growth and sustainability.

The visit also showcased the MICOCYL program in Castilla y León, which focuses on managing mycological resources. A key takeaway emphasized the need for greater professionalization within the non-wood forest products (NWFP) sector and the vital role of knowledge exchange to foster growth and sustainability.
Discover more about the study visits

5. Call for B2B events


In the context of the FOREST4EU project, Business2Business (B2B) events offer a valuable opportunity for people interested in specific topic to explore, gain deeper insight and access useful information about particular innovations. These mayinclude technologies  developed by Operational Groups (OGs) for use in forestry, online tools designed to support forest management in various European areas, and much more.

Since the main aim of this project is to connect forestry and agroforestry OGs across Europe, we believe that this is a powerful tool to be exploited for this purpose. 

A wide range of material has been published on our website, and we're now looking forward to meeting with stakeholders interested in specific topics addressed by the project. Our aim is to connect them with experts from OGs who are ready to share their innovative solutions. 

Explore the several OGs that are collaborating with us through the following map and dive into the available material on our website - including factsheets, videos, articles, and technical reports. 

If you are interested in participating in a B2B, do not hesitate in contacting us at  info@forest4eu.eu. We will try to arrange a suitable date and time for an online discussion.
Click here to know more

7. Future activities
 

The FOREST4EU project is entering its final phase!
In October and November, we'll host two informative webinars to share key insights and outcomes from our work. Look out for the official dates and detailed agendas, which will be announced in July.
We're also busy planning our final event to celebrate the collective achievements and look ahead to future collaborations.

If you want to stay updated and know more about the FOREST4EU upcoming activities, follow us on Linkedin and check our website to discover the capacity building material we are developing!
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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