Uniting Europe’s Forest Data for a Climate-Ready Future

Europe’s forests, covering 227 million hectares (560.9 million acres), are a critical piece of the continent’s climate and biodiversity puzzle. But as climate change drives up the pressure—through storms, droughts, pollution, and land-use shifts—current monitoring systems aren’t keeping pace. A new study in Plants, People, Planet argues that while Europe has decades of data from established monitoring networks, the lack of coordination across them limits their effectiveness.

Four major initiatives currently form the backbone of forest monitoring across Europe, each with a distinct focus. ICP Forests tracks long-term changes in tree health and the effects of air pollution, while ICOS gathers high-frequency data on carbon and other greenhouse gases. The eLTER network specializes in long-term, in-depth studies of entire ecosystems, and ENFIN provides large-scale, structured data on forest composition and structure. Together, they generate vast amounts of valuable information—but their work remains largely uncoordinated.

Each brings value—but they’ve developed in silos. Their differences in methods, geographic coverage, and data access create blind spots. For example, southeastern Europe is underrepresented in intensive monitoring, and data accessibility remains inconsistent across networks. Without a shared framework for interpreting this data, Europe lacks a clear, unified view of forest health and resilience.

This fragmentation not only hampers effective policy but also risks underestimating the scale and speed of ecological shifts—potentially putting climate neutrality targets out of reach.

A Path Toward Strategic Integration

What’s needed isn’t a new system, but a smarter use of existing ones. Researchers propose an alliance model that brings together Europe’s forest monitoring networks under a common research infrastructure, potentially with support from EU-level governance. The idea is to coordinate standards, not centralize operations—aligning protocols while preserving each network’s core mission.

Technology is already opening new doors. Remote sensing platforms like Copernicus and NASA deliver frequent, high-resolution data on forest cover and productivity. Spaceborne LiDAR systems, including GEDI and ICESat-2, offer biomass and canopy structure insights. But all of this satellite-derived information still depends on reliable ground truthing. That’s where terrestrial networks—if better integrated—can step up.

Scaling up this approach requires more than goodwill. The EU’s Proposal for a Monitoring Framework for Resilient European Forests provides some political momentum, but implementation will demand sustained funding, new cross-border agreements, and consensus on key indicators.