Annual Report 2024

EFI’s Annual Report 2024 highlights a year of record activity, stronger engagement and growing impact across research, policy support and outreach. Under Director Robert Mavsar, who began his five-year term in January, EFI strengthened its role as a trusted source of forest-related knowledge and a platform for dialogue between science, policy and society.

Research remained at the core of EFI’s work. In 2024, EFI implemented 45 research projects, coordinated seven EU-funded projects and reached a record annual research budget of €4.9 million. Researchers published 43 peer-reviewed papers, and 23 grants supported early-career researchers and professionals.

Highlights included the launch of aiphoria, an open-source tool for assessing wood material flows and carbon stocks, and the EFI Biocities Winter School, which brought together 20 early-career researchers from 11 countries to explore city-forest connections.

EFI also strengthened its support for science-informed policymaking. Four ThinkForest events connected scientists, policymakers and stakeholders on topics including sustainable finance and carbon farming. EFI’s flagship publications were cited 348 times and accessed more than 6,270 times.

The report “Carbon farming in the European forest sector” informed European Commission advisory documents, while EFI expanded the reach of its Forest Governance Index. Internationally, EFI launched a Technical Facility on Deforestation-Free Value Chains and supported the 9th FOREST EUROPE Ministerial Conference.

Public outreach grew too. Media coverage reached 1.95 billion people globally, EFI’s LinkedIn audience grew by 23% to 32,800 followers, and the Institute organised 35 events and hosted 11 science-media-policy dialogues. EFI also launched its Instagram channel to support more visual storytelling.

New engagement formats included interactive sessions at the EFI Annual Conference and the Helsinki Forest Talks, which brought diplomats, scientists and policymakers together to discuss climate mitigation, wildfires and forest resilience.

EFI reinforced international cooperation through events such as the 8th Mediterranean Forest Week, where nearly 300 experts, policymakers and researchers from over 30 countries discussed forest restoration, wildfire prevention and regional cooperation.

Work also continued on EFI Strategy 2040, with information sessions and stakeholder consultations strengthening dialogue with Member Organisations, Member Countries and research networks.

By the end of 2024, EFI employed 156 staff members representing 43 nationalities. Researchers and experts made up 61% of staff, and women represented 55% of employees. EFI also invested in digital tools to improve internal processes, communication and collaboration.

Looking ahead, EFI will build on this momentum through EFI Strategy 2040, strengthening collaboration and expanding knowledge-based solutions for forest challenges.