National and Subnational Legal Frameworks on Non-native Tree Species in Europe

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17590BU

200205036

The growing importance of non-native tree species (NNTs) for European forest management is increasingly reflected in the legal frameworks of European Union countries as well as at the European and international level. The major objectives of this study were (1) to identify the most relevant instruments for legislation/regulation of NNTs, (2) as well as the legal strategies of investigated countries and (3) to categorize the countries’ current approaches to NNTs in forests. The study focussed on legislative measures with a high relevance for the management of NNTs in forests and non-forest plantations, including legislation prohibiting the use of NNTs as well as laws governing introduction and species selection for plantations. A questionnaire on NNTs regulations was sent to 63 experts from 27 countries in Europe. The recipients were asked to specify whether and how NNTs are addressed in their respective country’s hard laws (forest acts, nature conservation acts) and soft laws (guidelines, forest certification standards, lists of NNTs of concern), and what measures have been taken so far in response to Regulation (EU) No. 1143/2014 on invasive alien species. In addition, the FAOLEX and ECOLEX databases were used. We reviewed over 391 legislative acts to identify relevant information on NNTs.