Plantation forests in Europe: challenges and opportunities

European forests are facing new demands including helping to mitigate climate change, providing goods and services, generating jobs and acting as a source of fuel and materials. Forestry is also expected to play a major part in supplying the feedstock and services required to develop an innovative, sustainable bioeconomy. Plantation forests can play a key role in meeting these objectives.

This study draws on recently published scientific research and four case studies (Ireland, Sweden, Italy and Georgia), to ask if plantation forestry is currently meeting its full potential to deliver European environmental and socio-economic policy. It identifies what science can tell us about designing and managing forest plantations, and their use to meet society’s future needs, and sets out the major policy implications.

Citation

Freer-Smith, P., Muys, B., Bozzano, M., Drössler, L., Farrelly, N., Jactel, H., Korhonen, J., Minotta, G., Nijnik, M. and Orazio, C. 2019. Plantation forests in Europe: challenges and opportunities. From Science to Policy 9.  European Forest Institute. https://doi.org/10.36333/fs09

Number of pages: 52
ISBN 978-952-5980-80-6 (online)