Restoration of the World’s Forests: A Challenge for European Forests

Posted by Dr. Emmanuel Duh

Communications Consultant

Sunday, March 21, marks World Forest  Day, with the year's theme being "Forest Restoration: A Path to Recovery and Well-Being." The forest is undeniably important for socioeconomic development, providing a primary source of income for a large proportion of the world's population.

Over 1.6 billion people, approximately 25 percent of the world's population, rely on forests for their livelihoods, primarily using trees on agricultural land to produce food, shelter, fuel, and medicine. The forest employs millions of people and is a source of various consumer products, such as paper, clothing, and furniture. Forests are crucial to biodiversity, flood mitigation, and the survival of different plant and animal communities. Forests serve as a natural storage of carbon and a stabilizing force against climate change.

The sustainability of the forest is critical for human well-being, and its social and economic benefits are essential for achieving a sustainable future. As a result, a significant litmus test for our commitment to this future is our response to the growing threat of deforestation, wildfires, and the degradation of forests for agricultural purposes.

Today, the world is experiencing uncertain times in the restoration of forests. There is increasing scientific evidence that logging activities are a primary cause of deforestation. Sadly, governments and corporations are doing far too little to solve the growing crisis of forest restoration and biodiversity loss. This situation illustrates the critical juncture at which humanity and well-being find themselves, highlighting the unhealthy relationship between human activity and the environment.

A United Nations report indicates that deforestation and biodiversity loss risk wiping out vital species and genetic diversity, putting humanity’s food supply, health, and security in jeopardy. The World Economic Forum’s 2020 annual global risk assessment identified biodiversity loss and climate change as the most urgent threats to humanity, stating that “human-driven nature and biodiversity loss are threatening life on our planet.” Despite growing pressure from scientists and environmental organizations, the escalating issue of biodiversity loss is frequently neglected.

It is profoundly concerning that the threat to forests is ignored in Europe. The EU is offering incentives for forest biomass for energy production, even though many trees are being cut down without a corresponding increase in forest regeneration. The EU's support for forest logging appears to benefit the forest products industry. This support has increased the reliance of several EU member states on forests as a source of renewable energy, indicating a substantial EU policy failure. For example, the 2020 State of Europe's Forests study found that more roundwood was used for energy production.

The EU's pledge to protect the world's forests is unachievable, since more trees are cut down and used for energy. The EU agreed to implement the principles of sustainable forest management outlined in the Forest Europe declarations, as did other countries that signed the principles of the Ministerial Conference for the Protection of Forests in Europe. In its call for EU action to protect and restore the world's forests, the declaration emphasizes the importance of forests and warns of the threats they face, as well as the consequences of their destruction. Even so, the EU promotes the use of forest biomass for energy production, which endangers the forests it professes to protect.

According to the 2020 record, the EU-27 has 159 million hectares of forests, accounting for 39.8% of the total land area. According to a Joint Research Centre (JRC) report, over 759 million m³ of vast forest land were lost between 2004 and 2013, accounting for nearly half of the EU's total forest area. The analysis indicated that 'salvage logging' in the EU caused an 18% increase in the amount of wood used for energy, rising from 442 Mm3 in 2009 to 522 Mm3 in 2015.

European forests are endangered mainly by tree felling for energy production, contrary to the JRC's report, which attributes this threat to natural disturbances such as windstorms, droughts, and insect infestations. The Joint Research Centre's analysis indicates that 49% of all wood used in Europe is for energy. On average, 34% more wood was used for energy between 2009 and 2015. The results of the 2013-2018 nature directives also show that Europe's natural forests are experiencing heightened extraction of forest products, leading to diverse effects on various habitats and species.

The EU is confronted with the dilemma of balancing the increased demand for biomass for energy with the damage it does to the forests that supply it. Scientists and environmental organizations have rejected the EU's assertion that woody biomass for energy can be used sustainably to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and maintain a healthy ecosystem without causing deforestation and biodiversity loss.

The EU believes it has a legitimate environmental rationale for encouraging forest biomass as a source of energy production. It seeks to sway public opinion that burning forests for energy does not add carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and is carbon-neutral. There is significant evidence that burning forest wood is not a carbon-neutral practice. According to the JRC report, the residue of biomass left over after trees are cut down can contribute to the soil's organic matter and nutrients, as well as influence competing plants and the soil's micro climate, which can affect the amount of carbon in the soil and its future productivity. This explanation raises some concerns because it is highly speculative.

There is a timing issue. A recent study suggests that it will take many years for seedlings to mature into trees that can recapture all of the carbon emitted. Studies have shown that using biomass for energy production is harmful to forests and will exacerbate climate change for many years, potentially until the end of the century.

According to recent studies, cutting down more trees diminishes their size and carbon-absorbing ability by over 20 %. When old-growth forests are cut down, it endangers the survival of forest-dependent invertebrates, animals, and nesting birds. The old trees provide habitats for small mammals, such as the Western Barbastelle and the Caucasian Squirrel. Indigenous populations and societies in general rely on these species for nutrition and sustenance.

It is not too late to slow or halt the deforestation crisis and ensure that the world's forests are restored in the future. Because forests are in danger, everyone must work together to protect and restore them. Environmental organizations are increasingly engaging in efforts to halt indiscriminate forest destruction. The Partnership for Policy Integrity, along with other organizations, continues to advocate for holding business leaders and politicians accountable for the widespread forest destruction. Environmental organizations must intensify their advocacy by reinforcing the "think globally, protest locally" philosophy in a renewed campaign to slow down tree cutting.

Forest restoration involves reconstituting degraded forests to their natural state, which entails preserving their original structure, productivity, and species diversity. Forest restoration requires significant policy safeguards that are free from political interference. Globally, forests are being destroyed to create space for agricultural expansion. As a result, the primary threat to forests is human exploitation to sustain rapidly growing populations. This threat requires intensive farming practices that use less land.