About planted forests
According to FAO stats, 25 years ago, planted forests represented 4% of the world's forested area. Today they represent almost 7% and provide at least one-third of the world's timber, so their importance should not be underestimated. In Europe, planted forests were established for protection purposes in the 19th century. Nowadays, they are mainly intensively managed in areas with oceanic climate and fast growing species to produce wood and fibre.
The future of forests relies on choices made by the foresters investing in tree planting today. However, they are faced with increasing uncertainties linked to decision-making as a result of global change; therefore it is essential to provide all kinds of decision support tools in order to produce resilient and multifunctional planted forests. The Planted Forests Facility – originally EFIATLANTIC, the EFI Atlantic Regional Office - aims to support the multidisciplinary research effort related to planted forest issues. We connect knowledge to action by fostering knowledge exchange and capacity building about planted forests with end users, such as forest owners and managers, authorities and policy makers or land use planners. We work to raise the awareness in society of planted forests, providing facts and figures about their roles and properties.
The Facility also works with well-established networks in the Atlantic area, such as the IEFC; thus benefiting from a long track record of expertise on planted forests. Furthermore, the Planted Forests Facility serves as a hub for facilitating exchange with non-European organisations dealing with the topic, such as via the IUFRO Taskforce on Sustainable Planted Forests for a Greener Future.
More information
Head of Facility: Christophe Orazio
Contact us efiplant @ efi.int
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