Periodic Reporting for period 2 - FOREST4EU (European innovation partnership network promoting operational groups dedicated to forestry and agroforestry)
Période du rapport: 2024-07-01 au 2025-12-31
Forests and agroforestry systems cover over 47% of EU land and are essential for climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity protection, ecosystem services, and rural development. Despite their strategic importance for the European Green Deal and EU Forest Strategy, the sectors face structural challenges: fragmented ownership (16 million landowners managing around 60% of forest land), uneven innovation uptake, administrative complexity, and limited cross-border knowledge transfer.
EIP-AGRI Operational Groups (OGs) provide an effective bottom-up innovation model, bringing together farmers, foresters, researchers and advisors. However, their results often remain regionally confined, and OG distribution across Member States is uneven.
FOREST4EU addressed this gap by building a European multi-actor network structured around five cross-country Innovation Topic Hubs (ITHubs): Wood Mobilization; Forest Adaptation to Climate Change; Sustainable Forest Management and Ecosystem Services; Non-Wood Forest Products; and Agroforestry.
The project strengthened knowledge transfer, cross-regional cooperation, and science–policy integration through structured innovation collection, multilingual capacity-building materials, study visits, and policy dialogue. Social sciences contributed through governance analysis, identification of policy barriers, and stakeholder engagement processes.
FOREST4EU contributes to a more cohesive European innovation ecosystem, supports climate resilience and rural sustainability, and enhances the scalability of forestry and agroforestry innovations.
EIP-AGRI Operational Groups (OGs) provide an effective bottom-up innovation model, bringing together farmers, foresters, researchers and advisors. However, their results often remain regionally confined, and OG distribution across Member States is uneven.
FOREST4EU addressed this gap by building a European multi-actor network structured around five cross-country Innovation Topic Hubs (ITHubs): Wood Mobilization; Forest Adaptation to Climate Change; Sustainable Forest Management and Ecosystem Services; Non-Wood Forest Products; and Agroforestry.
The project strengthened knowledge transfer, cross-regional cooperation, and science–policy integration through structured innovation collection, multilingual capacity-building materials, study visits, and policy dialogue. Social sciences contributed through governance analysis, identification of policy barriers, and stakeholder engagement processes.
FOREST4EU contributes to a more cohesive European innovation ecosystem, supports climate resilience and rural sustainability, and enhances the scalability of forestry and agroforestry innovations.
FOREST4EU implemented a structured methodology to collect, analyse, and scale innovations from EIP-AGRI Operational Groups.
Five cross-country ITHubs and one transversal hub were established, engaging 329 stakeholders from 25 countries and connecting 86 OGs. A harmonised methodological framework ensured systematic knowledge collection and prioritisation.
The project produced:
176 extended summaries
175 Practice Abstracts (multilingual)
173 factsheets
57 original capacity-building materials (reports, videos, articles)
These were translated into multiple languages, resulting in 219 multilingual products.
Five international study visits (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia) involved 135 stakeholders, enabling cross-regional, in situ learning.
Drivers and barriers to innovation were analysed, leading to the development of an Innovation–Policy matrix. Three regional Policy Focus Groups (184 participants) strengthened the science–policy interface. Six policy briefs and a booklet on effective knowledge transfer synthesised findings.
Outcomes
Structured EU-wide innovation network (329 stakeholders; 86 OGs)
Standardised and multilingual systematisation of 175+ innovations
Strengthened cross-border learning and benchmarking
Evidence-based identification of governance and policy barriers
Contribution to new OG establishment in underrepresented regions
FOREST4EU transformed dispersed local innovations into a coordinated European knowledge framework.
Five cross-country ITHubs and one transversal hub were established, engaging 329 stakeholders from 25 countries and connecting 86 OGs. A harmonised methodological framework ensured systematic knowledge collection and prioritisation.
The project produced:
176 extended summaries
175 Practice Abstracts (multilingual)
173 factsheets
57 original capacity-building materials (reports, videos, articles)
These were translated into multiple languages, resulting in 219 multilingual products.
Five international study visits (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia) involved 135 stakeholders, enabling cross-regional, in situ learning.
Drivers and barriers to innovation were analysed, leading to the development of an Innovation–Policy matrix. Three regional Policy Focus Groups (184 participants) strengthened the science–policy interface. Six policy briefs and a booklet on effective knowledge transfer synthesised findings.
Outcomes
Structured EU-wide innovation network (329 stakeholders; 86 OGs)
Standardised and multilingual systematisation of 175+ innovations
Strengthened cross-border learning and benchmarking
Evidence-based identification of governance and policy barriers
Contribution to new OG establishment in underrepresented regions
FOREST4EU transformed dispersed local innovations into a coordinated European knowledge framework.
FOREST4EU moved beyond isolated OG experiences by creating a structured, multilingual, cross-border innovation system for forestry and agroforestry.
Through standardisation and translation of 175+ innovations and the creation of five ITHubs, the project improved comparability, transferability, and scalability of practice-based solutions at EU level.
The Innovation–Policy matrix and Policy Focus Groups strengthened governance coherence and linked innovation practice with regulatory frameworks.
Potential Impacts
Systemic innovation impact: Increased cross-border scalability of 86 OG innovations.
Climate and environmental impact: Wider uptake of adaptive silviculture, ecosystem services, agroforestry and digital tools.
Economic impact: Strengthened rural value chains (wood mobilization, NWFPs, ecosystem services).
Governance impact: Improved evidence base for CAP and forest-related policy design.
Key Needs for Further Uptake
Long-term research and field validation
Stable and simplified CAP funding mechanisms
Regulatory coherence across climate, biodiversity and forest policies
Continued transnational exchange mechanisms
Strong advisory and innovation brokerage systems
Overview of Results
FOREST4EU delivered:
5 Innovation Topic Hubs
329 stakeholders from 25 countries
86 connected OGs
176 extended summaries
175 Practice Abstracts
173 factsheets
219 multilingual capacity-building materials
5 international study visits
6 policy briefs and governance analysis tools
The project established a scalable European framework for forestry and agroforestry innovation.
Through standardisation and translation of 175+ innovations and the creation of five ITHubs, the project improved comparability, transferability, and scalability of practice-based solutions at EU level.
The Innovation–Policy matrix and Policy Focus Groups strengthened governance coherence and linked innovation practice with regulatory frameworks.
Potential Impacts
Systemic innovation impact: Increased cross-border scalability of 86 OG innovations.
Climate and environmental impact: Wider uptake of adaptive silviculture, ecosystem services, agroforestry and digital tools.
Economic impact: Strengthened rural value chains (wood mobilization, NWFPs, ecosystem services).
Governance impact: Improved evidence base for CAP and forest-related policy design.
Key Needs for Further Uptake
Long-term research and field validation
Stable and simplified CAP funding mechanisms
Regulatory coherence across climate, biodiversity and forest policies
Continued transnational exchange mechanisms
Strong advisory and innovation brokerage systems
Overview of Results
FOREST4EU delivered:
5 Innovation Topic Hubs
329 stakeholders from 25 countries
86 connected OGs
176 extended summaries
175 Practice Abstracts
173 factsheets
219 multilingual capacity-building materials
5 international study visits
6 policy briefs and governance analysis tools
The project established a scalable European framework for forestry and agroforestry innovation.