Title of the project: The ForestWard Observatory to Secure Resilience of European Forests 

Acronym: ForestWard

Funding source: Horizon Europe

Bio-based sector: Forestry

Description:

The objective is to develop a prototype "ForestWard Observatory" forest monitoring system that: 

a) provides timely and detailed information on the vulnerability of European forests to climate change impacts,

b) generates science-based knowledge on forest management according to the principles of climate-intelligent forestry, ecosystem restoration and biodiversity conservation (climate-smart forestry and restoration), and

c) engages the public and interested parties in relevant decision-making processes.

The project uses data from existing experimental sites and new demonstration sites to be established, combining terrestrial and remote sensing data (monitoring supersites) and applying new methodological approaches to be able to analyze causal relationships. Future scenarios will be developed together with stakeholders, synergies and trade-offs of forest restoration measures will be evaluated, and practical guidance for forest restoration will be derived. Through cooperation with existing experimental sites and networks and participatory work with stakeholders, a permanent forest monitoring system ("ForestWard Observatory") will be established to provide information on the vulnerability and resilience of European forests to climate change at different geographical scales. This will provide information and tools to policy makers on the one hand and to forest managers on the other hand.

Link to the website: https://forwards-project.eu

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