Exploring Climate Change Mitigation Strategies for the EU Forest sector

Summary

European forests face challenges from climate change, threatening health, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning. Adaptive forest management, such as Climate-Smart Forestry (CSF), aims to enhance resilience and mitigate climate impacts. This research explores how forest management and the optimized use of wood products can enhance the climate mitigation effect of the European forest sector. Through material flow analysis and dynamic modeling, the study evaluates current and future wood use and carbon dynamics in the EU. Findings indicate that prioritizing wood for material uses, particularly in the construction sector, maximizes carbon sequestration while maintaining constant harvest levels. Additionally, a novel European Forest Industry Database was created, revealing that wood supply closely aligns with industry demand, showing a slight undersupply of coniferous wood and underutilization of deciduous wood. Finally, simulations show that improved forest management can boost the forest sector's climate mitigation in long-term, but achieving the forthcoming EU climate targets will necessitate a reduction in harvesting.