Keynote speaker at the event in France was Dr Gert-Jan Nabuurs from the Netherlands. He said emerging challenges that face the forest sector in Europe included a vulnerable forest resource, which shows a declining increment for the first time since 1960 and a sector that faces large socio-economic challenges.
The forum also looked into the options for supporting collaboration of national bodies to develop joint actions and measures to prevent and mitigate risks.
There is a proposal to establish a facilitation platform – a European Forest Risk Facility – under the leadership of EFI.
"The need for the Risk Facility has increased dramatically due to climate change. The EFI’s mission is to gather information and knowledge to provide support policies," a spokesman said.
