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A peaceful woodland path leading through a diverse, healthy green forest.

Photo by:

Mali Maeder

Explainer series

What is?

Going beyond a definition, explore our concise insights into key forest-related topics
Explainer

What are innovative wood products?

Innovative wood products use advanced processing and bioengineering to create more sustainable, functional, high-value materials from wood.

  • Co-created solutions
examples of innovative wood products
Explainer

What is a marteloscope?

Marteloscopes are used to perform (virtual) tree selection exercises and help to compare alternative forest management strategies.

  • Co-created solutions
Photos shows a person in a marteloscope holding a device using the related software.
Explainer

What is a wildfire?

At its most basic, a wildfire is a chemical reaction of combustion, which requires a source of heat, oxygen, and fuel to get started.

  • Resilient forests
graph shows the complexity of wildfires
Explainer

What is forest bioeconomy?

Forest bioeconomy promotes resilient, circular and climate-smart forestry within ecological boundaries and for wellbeing.

  • Sustainable economy
this graph shows what circular bioeconomy of well-being includes
Explainer

What are ecosystem services?

Ecosystem services refer to the benefits humans derive over time from natural or near-natural systems and processes.

  • Forests and people
graph shows the various elements that form forest ecosystem services
Explainer

What is regenerative agriculture?

Regenerative agriculture uses holistic practices to improve soil health, restore degraded land, and enhance ecological resilience.

  • Co-created solutions
examples of regenerative agriculture
Explainer

What is sustainable finance?

Sustainable finance integrates environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into investment decisions to support long-term sustainability.

  • Sustainable economy
Explainer

What are non-wood forest products?

Non-wood forest products include berries, mushrooms, medicinal and decorative plants, nuts, resins, game, and wild honey.

  • Forests and people
a collage of non-wood forest products
Explainer

What is forest assisted migration?

Forest migration refers to the gradual shift of tree species and their biodiversity in response to changing climate conditions.

  • Resilient forests
This graph illustrates forest assisted migration.
Explainer

What is a habitat tree?

Habitat trees are either living or dead standing trees that bear one or more tree-related microhabitats.

  • Resilient forests
This graph illustrates a habitat tree.
Explainer

What is forest biodiversity?

Forest biodiversity includes not only species diversity, but also the variety of functions they perform, from genes to landscapes.

  • Resilient forests
main elements of forest biodiversity
Explainer

What is forest resilience?

Forest resilience is the ability of forests and society to recover and adapt to environmental, climatic and societal changes.

  • Resilient forests
Hierarchy of commonly used resilience concepts. Modified from Nikinmaa et al. 2020.
Explainer

What is a biocity?

A biocity is a new term created to describe a city that is “hosted by nature”.

  • Cities
Graph recreated from the original by Vicente Guallart, Guallart Architects & Built by Associative Data 2019.
Explainer

What is closer-to-nature forestry?

Closer-to-nature forestry promotes the diversity of forest components, structures and processes characteristic of natural forests and cultural…

  • Resilient forests
Explainer

What is agroforestry?

Agroforestry combines the cultivation of trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock on the same land management unit.

  • Sustainable economy
Explainer

What is urban forestry?

Urban forestry involves the management and establishment of trees and forests across a city

  • Cities
Urban green space and trees, seen from above

Contributors: Tommaso Chiti, Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat, Nicola Bozzolan, Siebe Briers, Rik De Vreese, Trishna Dutta, Anna-Maria Farsakoglou, Laurent Larrieu, Stefanie Linser, Anushree Luukela-Tandon, Inazio Martinez de Arano, Mesele Negash Tesemma, Cleo Orfanidou, Helga Pülzl, Carmen Rodríguez Fernández-Blanco, Giuseppe Scarascia-Mugnozza, Elisabeth Schatzdorfer, Andreas Schuck, Diana Tuomasjukka, Ian Whitehead, Jerylee Wilkes-Allemann, Sven Wunder

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    Frequently asked questions about forests and why they matter

    An extreme close-up of a vibrant green leaf, highlighting the intricate, symmetrical pattern of yellow veins and the detailed cellular texture of the blade.