State of Europe's Forests 2011 : Status & Trends in Sustainable Forest Managment in Europe

Wien

2011

336 S.

Monographie

3-902073-09-8

17148

186526

Summary for Policy Makers; Pan-European Quantitative Indicators for Sustainable Fores t Management ; Maintenance and Appropriate Enhancement of Forest Resources and their Contribution to Global Carbon Cycles ; Maintenance of Forest Ecosystem Health and Vitality ; Maintenance and Encouragement of Productive Functions of Forests (Wood and Non-Wood) ; Maintenance, Conservation and Appropriate Enhancement of Biological Diversity in Forest Ecosystems ; Maintenance and Appropriate Enhancement of Protective Functions in Forest Management (notably Soil and Water) ; Maintenance of Other Socio-Economic Functions and Conditions ; Pan-European Qualitative Indicators for Sustainable Fores t Management ; Overall Policies, Institutions and Instruments for Sustainable Forest Management ; Policies, Institutions and Instruments by Policy Area ; Sustainability Assessmen t and Policy Challenges ; Assessing the Sustainability of Forest Management in Europe ; The Way Forward: Four Major Challenges and Opportunities for Forest Sector Policy in Europe ; Ac knowledgements; Detailed Table of Contents; Acr onyms and Abbreviations ;The State of Europe s Forests 2011 report provides a comprehensive, up-to-date description of the status and trends of forests and forest management in Europe. The report aims to stimulate sound policy decisions on forests and forest-related issues in Europe by providing objective and harmonized data for FOREST EUROPE s Signatories. This Summary for Policy Makers presents a compact and comprehensive overview of status and trends, as well as challenges and opportunities for forests, forest policy and forest management in Europe. The report is structured according to the Pan-European Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management. For the first time, the report also contains an assessment of progress towards sustainable forest management, derived from a new, experimental method. The report further identifies four future challenges and opportunities for forest policy and forest management in Europe.Forest Resources and their Contribution to Global Carbon Cycles; European forests sequester increasing amounts of carbon in tree biomass; Forest Ecosystem Health and Vitality Sulphur deposition has decreased over the last decade; Productive Functions of Forests Fellings are well below increment; Europe remains one of the largest producers of roundwood in the world; Non-wood goods can be an important source of local income; In many parts of Europe, there is a tendency to acidification and eutrophication of soils; Marketed services are an important source of income for a number of forest owners; In many parts of Europe, there is a tendency to acidification and eutrophication of soils; About a fifth of all trees are damaged or dead; Eleven million hectares or 1 percent of Europe s forests are affected by forest damage, most frequently caused by insects and diseases; Most forests in Europe have a management plan; Biological Diversity in Forest Ecosystems; The area of protected forests is expanding in Europe; Forest management practices increasingly promote the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; The majority of European forest landscapes have been influenced by humans; Potential for further mechanization vary substantially between regions; While some economic functions are decreasing in importance, other functions are gaining ground; Genetic diversity helps forests adapt to a changing climate; Protective Functions in Forest Management There is growing awareness of the importance of forest management for protection of water, soil and infrastructure; Overall Policies, Institutions and Instruments for Sustainable Forest Management National forest programmes are increasingly developed and applied; Protective Functions in Forest Management There is growing awareness of the importance of forest management for protection of water, soil and infrastructure More than 20 percent of Europe s forests are reported to; Socio-Economic Functions and Conditions Outside the Russian Federation, 50 percent of forests are in private ownership; Institutional and legal frameworks adapt to changing societal needs and priorities; Policies, Institutions and Instruments by Policy Area National forest policies are affected by and respond to multiple policy challenges; Changes in national policy objectives are related mainly to biodiversity, the production and use of wood, carbon balance and land use and forest area; Changes in objectives and instruments have occurred in most policy areas in more than half the reporting countries since the FOREST EUROPE Ministerial Conference in 2007; Sustainability of Forest Management in Europe A new and experimental method to assess progress towards sustainable forest management; Most national forest-related policies are increasingly influenced by international processes and other sectoral policies on energy, climate change, agriculture and biodiversity; North Europe the forest sector is mostly privately-owned, well organized, and focused on wood production, with a strong commitment to achieving environmental objectives; For most country groups and indicators, the assessment shows a balanced and generally satisfactory situation; Central-West Europe forest-related issues are not central to these countries economy or society, although populations have tended to react strongly to threats to their forests; Russian Federation the Russian forest has enormous economic and biodiversity significance even at the global scale, but problems of monitoring prevail; Central-East Europe the transition process has been a challenge to forest institutions, but in many countries these institutions have retained their basis; South-West Europe some intensive management, but many forests suffer from fire, nitrogen deposition, changes in landscape pattern and rural depopulation; Future Challenges and Opportunities for Forest Policy in Europe;