Forests are at the heart of Europe’s climate goals, providing vital services like carbon sequestration, biodiversity protection, and regional climate regulation. However, making these services operational for forest managers and policy-makers requires clear, science-based tools. To meet this need, OptFor-EU releases new Policy Brief and Practice Abstract, both dedicated to our set of Essential Forest Mitigation Indicators (EFMIs).
These 21 indicators were co-developed through a intensive, participatory bottom-up process. Starting from a pool of 130 potential indicators, the final set was refined with input from 65 forest managers across eight Case Study Areas and 21 international experts. The result is a streamlined framework that links forest management practices directly to decarbonisation outcomes and resilience co-benefits.
The EFMIs cover a wide range of essential categories, including forest health, carbon storage, climate change adaptability, and biodiversity—specifically addressing aspects of old-growth forests. By leveraging open-source data and advanced climate modelling, these indicators provide a pathway to assess the impacts of management choices at local, national, and pan-European scales.
Our third Policy Brief offers a deep dive into how EFMIs can be integrated into European decision-making and reporting systems, while the Practice Abstract provides a practical overview of how these indicators function within the OptFor-EU Decision Support System (DSS). Together, they offer the evidence and tools needed for evidence-based forest management across Europe.
