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FOREST4EU

Connecting forestry and agroforesty partnerships across Europe

Newsletter - Issue #5 | December 2025

The FOREST4EU consortium is delighted to introduce its fifth and last newsletter edition.

This last newsletter reports the latest news from September 2025 up to December 2025 – hence the main results achieved, and activities performed during the last months of the project. Furthermore, it summarizes all the main achievements, reports, events and activities carried on during the entire lifetime 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.

Find out more

The project
2023: Project Foundations and Knowledge Gathering
2024: Expanding Networks and Innovation Scouting
2025: Intensive Exchange and Strategic Insights
Project’s Final Legacy and Last 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. 2023: Project Foundations and Knowledge Gathering

The first year was dedicated to setting the groundwork for a European knowledge exchange. Starting on January 1, 2023, the project's primary early achievement was the establishment of Five Innovation Topic Hubs (ITHubs) covering critical areas: Wood Mobilisation, Forest Adaptation to Climate Change, Sustainable Forest Management, Non-Wood Forest Products, and Agroforestry.

By the summer of 2023, the project launched the Call for Expression of Interest for the three Policy Focus Groups (PFGs) (Central, South-East, and South-West Europe), successfully registering 120 policy experts. Later in the year, one of the first visible outputs was the creation of the FOREST4EU Interactive Map of Operational Groups.

The project also launched an EU-wide Innovation Survey to gather broad insights. Crucially, knowledge collection efforts resulted in the compilation of 175 innovations described under numerous formats (Extended Summaries, Practical Abstracts, etc.) sourced from 86 contacted OGs across the five ITHubs. Those innovations were made available for european experts on knowledge plateform / repositories to foster knowledge transfer among national experts.

Figure 1. Innovation Topic Hubs of the FOREST4EU project

2024: Expanding Networks and Innovation Scouting

2024 focused on mobilising the network, refining policy insights, and identifying the most promising innovations.

The Policy Focus Groups (PFGs) held their initial rounds of meetings throughout the year, with the first meetings for Central and South-East Europe taking place in March 2024, and the first for South-West Europe in April 2024. The South-East PFG had its second meeting in May 2024, and Central Europe in July 2024. A key output from the second South-West PFG meeting in October 2024 was a FOREST4EU survey revealing that climate change, biodiversity loss, and the bioeconomy were the primary drivers for innovation.

Policy focus groups general report

Simultaneously, a total of Nine National Workshops were organised, starting in February 2024, across partner countries, leading to the selection and evaluation of ten locally promising innovations in each country and the identification of 59 highly relevant innovations for capacity building material production.

Dissemination activities were robust, with the project being presented at numerous conferences, including INNOVAForONE (April), the European CAP Network Conference and 7th European Agroforestry Conference (EURAF) (May), ERIAFF 10th Annual Conference (June), IUFRO World Congress (July), and the 8th Mediterranean Forest Week (November). Towards the year's end, a Call for B2B events was launched to directly connect stakeholders with OG experts.

Knowledge Assets (2024): Production of Capacity Building Material (CBM) was ongoing, including technical reports, videos (made available on the YouTube channel with multi-language subtitles), and articles, all categorised by ITHubs to facilitate knowledge transfer.

2025: Intensive Exchange and Strategic Insights

The final phase was marked by a flurry of study visits, cross-fertilisation workshops, and the finalisation of policy recommendations.

The year began with the planned 6th Forest Innovation Workshop in collaboration with ERIAFF and OptFor-EU on February 11–12, 2025. This was quickly followed by international study visits that provided deep dives into the ITHub topics.

Forest Innovation Workshop press-release

Study visits, started in April 2025, marking the beginning of a crucial activity for the project activities:

Portugal (April 22–24, 2025): focused on optimising the unique Montado ecosystems, exploring successful initiatives in grazing management, tree health monitoring, and sustainable pest control.
Spain (May 6 - 8, 2025): discussed challenges posed by pathogenic microorganisms and examined innovations, highlighting the need for greater professionalisation in the sector.
Slovenia (May 27–29, 2025): highlighting the use of digital tools and presenting OGs like PRI.FOR.MAN (Italy) which addresses land fragmentation, and Moj Gozdar (Slovenia) which supports small forest owners.
France (June 4–6, 2025): focused on forest adaptation to climate change, with presentations on 3 thematics : - adaptative sylvicultures, expermentation and mitigation like OG FuturForest on controlled experiments, - new technologies and decision support tools such asrisk assessment tools like BioClimSol from OG SPNA or SlideForMap from OG Bioseiforte, and finally - communication and transfer knowledge to foster innovations.
Italy (June 24–26, 2025): held in Calabria, showcasing OGs using high-tech solutions like drones, GPS, GIS, remote sensing, IoT, and AI for forest management and ecosystem services (e.g., PIF, Fortrack, and GO SURF).

Figures 2 to 6. Participants at the Study Visits

Discover more about study visits

In May 2025, the project hosted the "Women Facilitating Innovation in the Forest Sector" Webinar on May 9, emphasising the crucial role of female OG representatives in innovation and climate adaptation. This was immediately followed by the online Joint EU Cross-Fertilization Workshop on May 14, organised by the BBioNets project, which addressed common challenges like administrative complexities and cross-border teamwork.

Full webinar

Cross-Fertilization Workshop

Third and Final PFG Meetings were concluded by July 2025, providing a comprehensive set of final policy insights that collectively highlighted the need to streamline bureaucratic obstacles, secure adequate funding (especially in contexts like Italy), and enhance the effectiveness of knowledge transfer. The ongoing CBM development also resulted in the production of Factsheets, which are being uploaded to multiple key repositories including Rosewood 4.0, ClimateADAPT, Oppla, Zenodo, and EU-FarmBook.

The project's most recent achievement was the successful B2B Training Event in Latvia on September 17–18, 2025, which provided cutting-edge training on forest monitoring using UAV and LiDAR technology.

4. Project’s Final Legacy and Last Activities

Policy Briefs publication:

The FOREST4EU project successfully published its comprehensive Policy Brief series, which distilled practical, on-the-ground knowledge into actionable recommendations for policymakers. Based on lessons learned and innovations from Operational Groups across Europe, these briefs provided valuable input for refining regional policies, funding opportunities, and Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) measures. The series tackled critical themes for a resilient European forest sector, focusing on areas like Climate Change Adaptation, Sustainable Forest Management and Ecosystem Services, Wood Mobilization, Non-Wood Forest Products, and Agroforestry. These strategic documents are now a key legacy of the project, offering essential insights to improve the framework conditions for innovation in forestry and agroforestry.

Figures 7. Policy Briefs' LinkedIn cards

Click here to read them

Final event in Vinkovci, Croatia:

The final joint event of the FOREST4EU and ResAlliance projects successfully took place in Vinkovci, Croatia, on November 12-13, 2025. This two-day gathering, hosted by the Competence Centre Ltd. for research and development (CEKOM), provided a unique opportunity for experts, stakeholders, and innovators in the forestry and bioeconomy sectors to connect and explore cutting-edge solutions. The event showcased the key findings, innovations, and best practices developed by both projects, all dedicated to enhancing the resilience and sustainability of Europe's forests. Attendees engaged in critical discussions on major challenges, such as climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation, and explored the forest sector’s vital role in the circular bioeconomy, alongside valuable networking opportunities.

Read the full report

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Figures 8 to 14. Pictures of speakers and participants to the final event in Vinkovci, Croatia

Webinar "From Farm to Fork" concept (Dec 4th, 2025)

The recent FOREST4EU webinar successfully linked forestry and agroforestry to the "From Farm To Fork" strategy, showcasing pivotal findings as the project nears its December conclusion. The event focused on Non-Wood Forest Products (NWFP) and Agroforestry Innovation Topic Hubs, emphasizing three key areas for a sustainable food system. Innovations from Operational Groups (OGs) demonstrated valuable products (like chestnuts and truffles) and agroforestry with livestock; support is crucial to build resilient supply chains and increase market consumption for NWFPs. To boost NWFP value, businesses should adopt an experience-driven model, viewing forests as accessible "farms" for the bioeconomy. Finally, schemes like PEFC are vital for assuring sustainable management, adding market credibility, and supporting rural development, particularly for Trees Outside of Forest systems like agroforestry.

Watch the full webinar

Seminar "Operational Groups as a Tool for Forest Owners: From Needs to Innovative Solutions" (Dec 17th, 2025)

On December 17, 2025, the Laurus Network successfully hosted its second seminar, “Operational Groups as a Tool for Forest Owners: From Needs to Innovative Solutions”, supported by the FOREST4EU project. The webinar provided a deep dive into how Operational Groups (OGs) function as essential elements for innovation in private forest management across Europe. The audience explored real-world examples of OG projects that enhance both sustainability and profitability, while gaining practical knowledge on the funding application process and the formation of multi-actor partnerships. By showcasing best practices and addressing the practical challenges faced by associations, the event reinforced the mission of FOREST4EU to bridge the gap between research and field application, fostering a more resilient and innovative European forestry sector.

Watch the full seminar here!

Find out more about the partners

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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