Sustainable Forest Management

FOREST EUROPE leads the way in defining Sustainable Forest Management. The pan-European concept of SFM has provided a common approach for dialogue, monitoring, and policymaking across Europe. It is a dynamic and evolving concept, that continuously moderates the various claims on forests and forest resources balancing the three pillars of sustainability—ecological, social, and economic.

If managed sustainably, forests play an indispensable role in climate and biodiversity protection. They protect soils and water resources, provide livelihoods, and contribute to the wellbeing of rural and urban communities. European forests are multifunctional, providing a range of ecosystem services, including the production of renewable materials that are able to substitute for alternatives with a higher environmental footprint, thus also contributing to climate neutrality and overall sustainability.

The State of Europe’s Forests 2025 report

The sixth State of Europe’s Forests 2025 report (SoEF 2025) provides a comprehensive overview of the condition, management, and use of forest resources across Europe. It is based on harmonised data provided by countries and builds on internationally agreed indicators for sustainable forest management.

More information about SoEF 2025 and webinars exploring the findings

The definition of Sustainable Forest Management, SFM

“Sustainable forest management means the stewardship and use of forests and forest lands in a way, and at a rate, that maintains their biodiversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, vitality and their potential to fulfil, now and in the future, relevant ecological, economic and social functions, at local, national, and global levels, and that does not cause damage to other ecosystems.”
Resolution H1 of the Helsinki Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe, 1993.

Criteria and Indicators

The voluntary reporting assumes that the criteria and indicators (C&I) are firmly rooted among the Signatories and grounded in robust scientific principles. This provides a solid foundation for the results to be used to generate real impact.

Since the adoption of the Criteria and Indicators (C&I) for SFM in Lisbon in 1998, they have served as a common framework for forest monitoring and reporting in Europe. Over the years, the C&I have undergone several adaptations, including collaborations with other regional processes and in the global context.

Indicators

1.1 Forest area

1.2 Growing stock

1.3 Age structure and/or diameter distribution

1.4 Forest carbon Indicator

C.1: Policies, institutions and instruments to maintain and appropriately enhance forest resources and their contribution to global carbon cycles.

Indicators

2.1 Deposition and concentration of air pollutants

2.2 Soil condition

2.3 Defoliation

2.4 Forest damage

2.5 Forest land degradation

C.2: Policies, institutions and instruments to maintain forest ecosystem health and vitality

Indicators

3.1 Increment and fellings

3.2 Roundwood

3.3 Non-wood goods

3.4 Services

C.3: Policies, institutions and instruments to maintain and encourage the productive functions of forests.

Indicators

4.1 Diversity of tree species

4.2 Regeneration

4.3 Naturalness

4.4 Introduced tree species

4.5. Deadwood

4.6 Genetic resources

4.7 Forest fragmentation

4.8 Threatened forest species

4.9 Protected forests

4.10 Common forest bird species

C.4: Policies, institutions and instruments to maintain, conserve and appropriately enhance the biological diversity in forest ecosystems

Indicators

5.1 Protective forests – soil, water and other ecosystem functions – infrastructure and managed natural resources

C.5: Policies, institutions and instruments to maintain and appropriately enhance the protective functions in forest management

Indicators

6.1 Forest holdings

6.2 Contribution of forest sector to GDP

6.3 Net revenue.

6.4 Investments in forests and forestry

6.5 Forest sector workforce

6.6 Occupational safety and health

6.7 Wood consumption

6.8 Trade in wood

6.9 Wood energy

6.10 Recreation in forests

Voices making SFM and the SoEF report come to life

What do Forest Europe Signatories and Observers say about the importance of the FOREST EUROPE process, achievements in Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and the usefulness of the State of Europe’s Forests report (SoEF)?