Development of European Forests until 2050

Book excerpt: In Europe, forest policy discussions are moving towards a European-Union-wide strategy. This will further strengthen the relations between the European countries in the field of forests and forest management. European-wide forest planning and decision-making require that policy-makers have insight in the long-term development of European forests under alternative regimes. The European Forest Information Scenario Model (EFISCEN) was used to make projections of the development of the European forests under four different scenarios. This book addresses the consequences of each scenario for wood production, biodiversity, and the environmental functions of the forest. The results provide policy-makers with a challenge of whether to intervene in the ongoing trend of build-up of growing stock and whether to choose between enhancing biodiversity, increasing the use of domestically produced wood products, or to combine them.