FORESTBAND

Project Overview:

European and national policy documents emphasize the need to increase climate change mitigation and biodiversity, particularly through changes in land use and forest management. In the Estonia-Latvia programme area, afforestation and forest regeneration are currently dominated by spruce, which increases the risk of large-scale disturbances and results in relatively low biodiversity. At the same time, maintaining a viable bioeconomy and employment base requires solutions that are compatible with existing land ownership structures and forest management practices.

The FORESTBAND project addresses these challenges by developing climate-smart afforestation and forest regeneration solutions that enhance biodiversity, primarily through the increased use of planted broadleaved trees. The project focuses on information-based solutions, guidelines, tools, and demonstrations that support better decision-making and enable biodiversity values to be reached more quickly in managed forest stands. The project responds to increasing afforestation needs, accelerating climate change impacts, and the necessity to improve resilience, adaptation, and biodiversity in forest landscapes.

Project Objective

The objective of the project is to develop climate-smart solutions for afforestation and forest regeneration that increase biodiversity, with a primary focus on planted broadleaved trees, while supporting climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilient forest management in line with Regulation (EU) 2021/1060.

Key Activities

• Collection and analysis of data from existing forest trials and stands to develop climate-smart forest regeneration solutions.
• Evaluation of spruce–birch mixed stands, broadleaved stands, and stands with rare or currently uncommon tree species.
• Biodiversity assessments focusing on species composition and microhabitats across all project areas.
• Assessment of resilience, growth, adaptation, climate change mitigation potential, and vitality of trees and regeneration material in selected sites.
• Development of policy recommendations, practical guidelines, and a decision-support tool/application for forest regeneration and afforestation.
• Establishment of large demonstration pilot sites (one in each country) and multiple demonstration areas used for seminars and nature-based tourism mapping.
• Organization of seminars for landowners, policymakers, NGOs, and other information multipliers.

Expected Results: 

• Climate-smart afforestation and forest regeneration solutions supporting increased biodiversity and resilience.
• A decision-support tool and practical guidelines for forest owners and policymakers.
• Demonstration areas and pilot sites integrated into education, research, and nature-based tourism.
• Adoption of the developed solutions by forest companies in Estonia and Latvia within one year after project completion.
• Continued cooperation between research institutions and forest management organizations beyond the project timeframe.
• Strengthened research capacity and international cooperation supporting future forestry and climate-related projects.