In Europe, around 30% of the forests are state-owned, meaning that they are managed by the state forest management organizations for the public good. Various forms of state forest management structures have been developed across Europe. In several countries the national ministries are directly responsible for state forest management (like the Forestry Department of the Ministry of Agriculture of Cyprus). In other cases the management is done by purposefully created entities (Polish State Forests Lasy Państwowe), or companies owned by the governments (Swedish Sveaskog and Forests of Ukraine). State forests can be managed in a centralised way at the national level, e.g. in the Czech Republic by Lesy České Republiky, or by regionally decentralised bodies, like in the United Kingdom. In several cases regional governments, like in Spain, are directly involved, sometimes management is done by very decentralized local companies, e.g. in Hungary.

Across Europe, a range of different forest types can be found, from the spruce forests in Scandinavia and the Atlantic forests on Europe’s west coast, to the Mediterranean pine and oak forests and the dry shrublands in the south. All these forests and forested areas require specific management approaches to conserve biodiversity and to meet the social and economic needs of local communities. One thing that these forests all have in common is that they contribute to national economies, by providing raw material to the down-stream value chain, thus supporting employment and livelihoods, and development of rural communities. Forests also play a great role in our cultural traditions and identity, mental well-being, and they are a crucial ally in our fight against climate change.

The European state forest organizations are active in all these areas. They are a major driver for the European economy, employing directly 140.000 forest workers and supplying almost 160 million m3 of wood to the market. This makes them one of the most important producers of raw material. This production is done to the highest standards, and all timber is produced according to forest management plans that comply with national forestry laws.

Their role extends far past that of producers: In total, they manage 68 million hectares of land, of which only 55 million is forests. They manage all types of landscapes, including aquatic systems, agricultural land, peri-urban park forests, bogs, prairies and heathlands. They are the stewards of all sorts of natural areas. In total, more than 20 million hectares of land managed by the state forest organisations are protected by nature conservation laws, almost a third of all the managed land. All these numbers cannot properly express the impact that state forests have on society, in terms of non-wood forest products, ecosystem services, cultural identity and recreation.

Although the priorities and management approaches of all these state forest organisations vastly differ, they all have one goal: to create and preserve healthy, resilient forests that can sustain a prosperous rural economy while preserving, at the same time, their natural values.

Europe’s state forests are managed to serve the three pillars of sustainability: economy, society and environment. To do so in a responsible and balanced way, state forest organizations manage their forests according to forest management plans. These are subject to the provisions of national forest laws as well as nature conservation legislation and management guidelines. Even if this is not mandatory, the state forests’ management plans also comply with the standards of third-party certification schemes and are often even double certified. Of the forests managed by EUSTAFOR’s members, 31 million ha is certified by PEFC, 22.5 million ha by FSC, and another 741.000 ha by smaller, often regional certification schemes.

The forest management plans contain information on the forest and all actions that should be executed in the upcoming management period (often 10 years), like the necessary tending operations or the volume of woody biomass that should be harvested, as well as which areas should be left for the development of natural processes. All decisions are data-driven and calculated with scientific models. For example, the harvesting levels are directly linked to the annual growth of the forest. Similarly, the decision of which tree species will be harvested or replanted after harvest is dependent on many factors, like soil and climate conditions of the site, and genetic characteristics of the tree species and origin. As data is the basis for responsible forestry, the state forest organizations are constantly improving their forest monitoring systems, which include tools like earth observation equipment, drones, lasers, in-field observations and AI models. They carefully gather as much information as possible to make informed decisions. A great example is the work of LVM, the Latvian state forest organisation. They have begun developing an algorithm to identify potentially damaged spruce stands, using high-resolution Sentinel-2 satellite imagery which covers the entire national territory.

The decisions of state forest organizations also have impact on the local communities. Therefore, a lot of effort is put in stakeholder engagement giving the public the right to know why certain measures are being taken, so the aim is to clearly communicate all these decisions. There, where management actions directly impact local communities, there will be a dialogue beforehand to minimize impact on management actions and to reach a mutually acceptable solution.

Forests have many benefits, both for the planet and for mankind. They play a major role in supporting natural processes and biodiversity, but at the same time they provide an important renewable resource in the form of wood. They also provide a place for different forms of recreation, such as hiking and jogging, for observing nature and for children to play and explore. People go to the forests to pick berries or mushrooms, while others hunt and fish. They are also a source of income for many people and an important driver for rural development. Forests filter the air, produce oxygen and absorb CO2, thereby mitigating climate change.

One of EUSTAFOR’s missions is to promote multifunctional forestry practices across Europe. This means that forest should be managed in a way that they can provide environmental, economic, and social functions simultaneously. Rather than using a segregated approach, which favours only one function, we believe in a balanced way of forest management. This does not mean that all functions need to be fulfilled in equal proportion in every situation. As forests differ so much, this requires a tailored approach per situation. A forest in proximity to residential areas can have more emphasis on recreation. There, management operations will typically be done in accordance with the visitor densities, and extra attention will be devoted to clear communication about the measures and the reason behind them.

In every forest management plan that is developed by the state forest organizations, all these aspects are considered and carefully weighted, to make an as balanced and comprehensive plan as possible. This way we make sure that current and future generations can enjoy the European forests and its riches.