We are foresters, forest owners, and professionals who work every day in Europe’s forests. We welcome the attention being paid to the decline of Europe’s forest carbon sinks. But we fear that governments may draw the wrong conclusions—and in doing so, miss an opportunity to support the people best positioned to reverse this trend.
At the Environment Council meeting on March 17, 2026, nine Member States attributed the decline in carbon sinks largely to climate change and natural disturbances, and called for the abandonment of short-term climate targets for forests. As the people who actually manage these forests, we know better than anyone that the choices we make matter—and we insist on being part of this discussion.
Climate pressures are very real*. But increased harvesting rates are also a major factor in the decline of carbon stocks—and unlike the weather, harvesting decisions are within our control. In France, Sweden, Germany, and elsewhere, thousands of forest owners are already implementing approaches—longer rotations, selective harvesting, continuous cover forestry—that enhance carbon storage while building true resilience. These practices work. What they lack is support.
That is the real problem, and it is a problem that governments can solve.
We call on our governments and the European Commission to:
Fund the transition to better forest management — through the Common Agricultural Policy, National Recovery and Resilience Plans, and dedicated national programs. The tools exist. What is missing is a commitment to direct resources toward forest owners ready to manage differently.
Stronger measures should be implemented, emphasising the necessary forest adaptations to climate change, strengthening forest management and resilience.
Make restoration finance accessible to all types of forest owners. Europe's forests are held in remarkably diverse hands: family properties passed down through generations, privately owned commercial holdings, and — too often overlooked — communal and community forests, from village commons to municipal woodlands, which remain numerous across the continent and often cover the largest areas of all. These communal owners are in many cases among the most conservation-minded stewards we have, and they deserve to be brought fully into this conversation — as beneficiaries of public support, and as partners in shaping policy. Without direct and concrete financial support—and technical assistance—political ambition cannot translate to action on the ground.
View better forest management as a climate solution, and support the laws and resources needed to develop it. The current debate focuses almost exclusively on what forests fail to provide. We would like to see as much attention paid to what they could provide—with the right support.
European forests can store more carbon, support greater biodiversity, and build resilience. But this cannot be achieved if this vision is abandoned, and it cannot be achieved without stable and adequate funding. We urge the Commission and EU Member States to use all available instruments—both European and national—to support close-to-nature forest management as the most lucrative choice for landowners.
