Conference: Our forests, our future

The ‘Our Forests, Our Future‘ conference was organised by the EU Commission and took place in Brussels on 25-26 April 2019.

‘Forests are at the heart of our European natural heritage; they are a part of who we are. So many of our treasured stories and myths are based in the forest, meaning that from a young age, every European learns to appreciate trees and forests as a part of our shared European identity,’ said Commissioner Phil Hogan in his opening speech.

The goal of the conference was to discuss opportunities and challenges for enhancing the contribution of the forest sector to the main EU priorities.

The forest sector provides more than 3.5 million jobs in the EU and forests cover about 40% of its territory. The forest value chains are engines of rural growth and generate other benefits to society, including societal benefits for human health, recreation and tourism. According to the Paris Agreement and the EU’s 2030 climate and energy targets, the importance of the forest sector for the EU is growing.