Forests under pressure: addressing disruptions, boosting resilience, and guiding policy
Date: 18 September 2025
Venue: Wood Pavilion of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences of Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague (FLD)
Duration: 9.00-16.45. How to reach the venue.
Introduction
This seminar will bring together scientists, experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to discuss the increasing risks of forest disturbances and their implications for sustainability, management, and policy. The event will begin with presentations on observed and expected impacts, covering trends in disturbances, effects on forest resilience, biodiversity, and the carbon sink, as well as the consequences for the supply of wood supply and other ecosystem services, and the market of forest-related products and services.
Discussions will then focus on strategies for prevention and response, including good practices for large-scale disturbance management, resilience-building measures, and the role of salvage logging, particularly in protected areas. A dedicated policy session will explore the governance implications of rising disturbance risks, the role of EU and national strategies, and ways to integrate their economic, ecological, and social dimensions in forest policy. Case studies and best practices in recovery and restoration will further illustrate effective approaches from different regions.
Young scientists will have the opportunity to present their research through pitch talks and poster sessions.
Opening
Welcome by Prof. Dr. Margarida Tomé, Chair of the EFI Board
Observed and expected Impacts of disturbances
Moderator: Dr. Marcus Lindner, Head of Resilience Programme, EFI
Progress and challenges in large-scale disturbance monitoring
Dr. Pieter Beck, Joint Research Centre, European Commission
Current and future trends in forest disturbance
Dr. Werner Rammer, Senior Scientist, Technical University of Munich
Effects on forest resilience, biodiversity, and the carbon sink
Prof. Dr. Thomas Pugh, Senior lecturer, Lund University
Impacts on the supply of wood and other ecosystem services
Dr. Annechien Hoeben, University of Graz
Q&A
Strategies for prevention and responses to disturbances
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Verena C. Griess, ETH Zurich
Good practices for large-scale disturbance response
Prof. Dr. Tomás Hlásny, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
Practical approaches to enhancing forest resilience and reducing disturbance risks
Prof. Cristina Montiel Molina, Complutense University of Madrid
Salvage logging: How to minimise the negative impacts on biodiversity and resilience of the future forest
Prof. Dr. Simon Thorn, Philipps Universität Marburg
Q&A
Young Scientists: Pitch talks (4 x 60”) – follow-up poster session
- Ms. Bui Uyen: European's current capacity and future needs to monitor forest resilience: a review
- Ms. Audrey Salerno: How disturbance history affects recent mortality susceptibility in primary beech forests
- Ms. Tea Sidorov: When Forests Fall: The Aftermath of the 2023 Windstorm in Spačva basin
- Mr. Ivan Horvat: Storm-resilient forest structures: Silvicultural designs for wind and snow disturbances in Croatian forests: a review
Coffee break
Interactive panel discussions: Policy & management responses
Policy context & EU response
EU Forest Strategy 2030 and its importance for managing emerging risks to forests
Adrian Tišťan, Policy Officer, the European Commission, DG Environment
1. Policy & Governance implications
Moderator: Jernej Stritih, Stritih Sustainable Development Consulting
- Fergus Moore, Head of the Forest Sector Development Division at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, Ireland
- Vera Steinberg, Policy Advisor, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity, Germany.
- Tomas Krejzar, Director of the Department of Forest Policy and Economics, Ministry of Agriculture, Czech Republic
Young Scientists: Pitch talks (4 x 60”) – follow-up poster session
- Mr. Aditya Ganesh: Climatic niche modelling of Douglas-fir and its major pests
- Mr. Agnish Kumar Das: Process-oriented modelling of forest mortality
- Ms. Marina Martínez Miguel: From Data to Decision: A Low-Cost Early Warning System for Drought Stress in Mediterranean Forests
- Ms. Andrea Ramos Huapaya: Palm Trees in the Tropical Forest: Building Resilience through Knowledge and Governance
Lunch
Forest Europe initiative on sharing knowledge and best practices (FORISK facility)
Silvia Abruscato, Senior Expert, EFI
2. Best practices & case studies in disturbance response
Moderator: Matthew Geraci, Policy Advisor, Milieu Consulting
- Alexander Held, Senior Expert, EFI
- Maria Iwarsson Wide, Research Director, Skogforsk
- Dr. Miloš Ježek, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
Wrap-up & Closing
Key takeaways and recommendations
- Dr. Marcus Lindner, Head of Resilience Programme, EFI
- Prof. Dr. Verena C. Griess, ETH Zurich
- Jernej Stritih, Stritih Sustainable Development Consulting
- Matthew Geraci, Milieu
Closing remarks and next steps by Robert Mavsar, Director, EFI
Networking cocktail
Informal discussions & networking opportunity