OptFor-EU

Smart decisions for sustainable forest management

January 2023 - December 2026

OptFor-EU wants to co-develop a Decision Support System (DSS) with forest managers and other forest stakeholders, that provides them with suitable climate adaptation and mitigation options for science-based optimising forest ecosystem services (FES) (including decarbonisation) and enhancing forest resilience and its capacities to mitigate climate change across Europe.

Significant reductions in anthropogenic emissions and increases in CO₂ sinks are needed to meet the 1.5° threshold for global warming set out in the Paris Agreement and reach the climate-neutrality goal of the European Green Deal by 2050.

The CO₂ sink provided by forests, including old-growth forests, partially offsets the rise in anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, providing a large-scale buffer to climate change.

Depending on their characteristics and local circumstances, such as management practices or ecosystem services, forests may range from net CO₂ sinks to sources.

The project ‘OPTimising FORest management decisions for a low-carbon, climate resilient future in Europe (OptFor-EU)’ will build a Decision Support System (DSS) to provide forest managers and other relevant stakeholders with tailored options for optimising decarbonisation and other Forest Ecosystem Services (FES) across Europe.

Based on exploitation of existing data sources, use of novel Essential Forest Mitigation Indicators and relationships between climate drivers, forest responses and ecosystem services, OptFor-EU has five specific objectives:

Provide an improved characterisation of the Forest-Climate Nexus and FES;
Utilise end-user focused process modelling;
Empower forest end-users to make informed decisions to enhance forest resilience and decarbonisation;
Provide a novel DSS service; and
Bridging different EU strategic priorities, robust science, and stakeholders in the forest and forest-based sectors.

Based on a supply-demand approach, the methodology combines an iterative process of data consolidation, modelling, and co-development of solutions alongside forest managers and other practice stakeholders in all European Forest Types. The DSS will be designed and tested at 8 case study areas, to provide a ready-to-use service, near to operational (TRL7) at European level, while a user adoption and up-take plan will maximise the societal and business impact.

Funded by the European Union Horizon Europe programme, under Grant agreement n°101060554. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

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Terminologies

FES: Forest Ecosystem Services

FMP: Forest Management Practices

DSS: Decision Support System

Objectives

Improve the characterization of EU FES.
- Improves the science-based characterisation of FES (e.g. carbon stocks and sinks) for EU forests, with a major focus on old-growth forests, supported by co-development with forest end users
- The current state of FES and future projections is quantified using available datasets (e.g., in situ observations, reanalyses, and satellite remote sensing products; models and scenarios).
Provide a focussed FES modelling framework.
- Model simulations tackle the integration of European forests, including FMP, in a scalable modelling framework that extends from local CSA to the European domain.
- Models are enhanced to improve the representation of forest land cover and FMP across Europe, and simulations are designed to improve understanding of the individual and combined impacts of FMP, socio-economic and climate scenarios on forest processes and FES.
Empower forest managers and other stakeholders to implement sustainable FMP based on scientifically-informed decisions that enhance FES (including decarbonisation) and forest resilience.
- deliver a ready-to-use solution for supporting current and future forest managers and other forest stakeholders to better understand the differences and benefits between managed and unmanaged forests in terms of carbon sequestration.
Develop a novel DSS to optimize FMP.
- enable forest managers to identify optimal FMP and NBS for the provision of sustainable FES and resilient forest ecosystems across Europe.
- toolboxes co-designed and co-developed with a range of stakeholders to ensure their requirements are addressed and the science-based solution provided by the DSS is adopted into good practices.
Bridging different EU strategic priorities, robust science, and stakeholders in the forest and forest-based sectors. Reduction in net emissions of greenhouse gases related to FES, boost sustainable use of forest resources (including the long-lived wood products), and smooth integration of different economies and societal values at European scale.

Case studies

Climate change impact on the decarbonisation and FES supply potential of forests in Vestfold and Telemark County (NO).
Climate change impact on the decarbonisation and FES supply potential of forests within the Čepkeliai – Dzūkija National Park (LT).
Climate change impact on UK forest decarbonisation and FES supply potential using Wytham Woods as a case study (UK).
Devising rules for budgeting carbon and timber earnings under consideration of other forest ecosystem services and climate change (DE).
Identifying the maximum decarbonisation potential of the Biosphere Reserve Vienna Woods without jeopardizing other demanded ecosystem services (AT).
An altitudinal assessment of climate change impact on Romanian forests decarbonisation and FES supply potential (RO).
Climate change impact assessment on Extremadura pine forests decarbonisation potential. Specific Challenge addressed: wildfires, drought, erosion, rural depopulation (ES).
Sustainability of FES provided by the Model Forest of Florentine Mountains (Foresta Modello Montagna Fiorentina) under the climate change perspective and “climate neutrality” demands (IT).