Europe will turn its back on remote sensing and long-term national forest plans and instead will adopt a “bottom-up approach” to forest monitoring. It follows the endorsement by agricultural ministers from the 27 member states of a new “simplified” EU-wide forest monitoring framework, which will make national monitoring the starting point for all EU-level policy-making decisions on forests.
Wood Central understands that the new framework, which the European Commission must now formally approve, is a key component of the EU Forest Strategy for 2030 – with member states agreeing to a new forest data-sharing framework that will reduce administrative and compliance costs for forest operators and authorities.
It follows ministers’ concerns about the accuracy and reliability of data obtained by remote sensing, with the Council agreeing that mapping should remain the responsibility of member states…who are “better placed to develop cost-effective and tailored solutions that best fit their own specifications and environments,” according to a media statement following key discussions this week.
“Forests are the green lungs of our planet – essential for our climate, our biodiversity and our sustainable growth and future,” according to Czesław Siekierski, Polish Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development. “With the new forest monitoring framework, we are providing forest managers and owners with the tools they need to protect and manage this precious natural resource responsibly, balancing conservation and production goals while avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy.”
Summary of the main elements in the Commission proposal
The Commission’s proposal is the main legislative initiative stemming from the EU Forest Strategy for 2030. The Commission, in cooperation with EU member states, would set up and operate a high-quality monitoring system to ensure harmonised forest data, building on the existing measurement systems of the member states. The proposal also introduces a forest data-sharing framework, enabling the exchange of data between member states and at the EU level.
Summary of the main changes introduced by the Council
While supporting the need for harmonised and comparable forest data to improve resilience and biodiversity, the Council considers that the proposal should be significantly simplified to reduce administrative burdens and costs for both forest operators and national authorities. It has, therefore, introduced a series of changes in its general approach.
- For more information, click here to read the proposal that will be taken to the European Commission for a vote.
