Enhancing climate resilience of forest value chains

Forestry and value chain decision makers get from this RESONATE policy brief the latest research results on how climate change is affecting forest landscapes and related value chain. Increasing disturbances, such as storms, droughts, and pests, are creating market instability, especially for small-scale forest owners who face economic losses due to surpluses of low-quality wood. The needed shift towards climate-resilient mixed forests, which favour hardwoods, requires substantial changes in both forest management practices and wood industry operations.

RESONATE results indicate that forest value chains are highly dependent on changes in forest management. This brief emphasizes the urgency for the wood industry to acknowledge the growing risk of tipping points in softwood resource supply. Value chain stakeholders, especially in wood processing, can learn from this brief about the importance of diversifying product portfolios, adapting to market fluctuations, and innovating with underutilized hardwoods. By investing in sustainable practices, efficient harvesting methods, and circular bioeconomy strategies, they can strengthen resilience and improve long-term profitability in a changing climate. The brief also recommends value chain stakeholders to take initiative to co-invest into serious forest adaptation and conversion programmes together with forestry actors. 

Citation

Hoeben, A., Kies, U., Schifferdecker, G., Lindner, M., Jankovský, M., García-Jácome, S. P.,  Lautrup, M.,  Jacobsen, J. B., Toppinen, A., Stern, T.  2025. Enhancing climate resilience of forest value chains. https://doi.org/10.36333/rs10