Forestry projects funded by Reforest'Action in Europe aim to restore forests affected by natural hazards or dying forests, as well as to expand forest cover in sparsely forested areas by planting a wide variety of species adapted to the climate and ecosystems. Find out more about all the projects carried out across Europe:
France
Belgium
Luxembourg
The Netherlands
Poland
Ireland
Italy
Spain
Portugal
Restoration of degraded forests in France
Vast of 17 million hectares, the French forest covers 31% of the territory. It is now affected by a phenomenon of degradation due to natural disasters (storms, fires...) and the effects of certain tree diseases. Faced with the announced and ongoing manifestations of climate change (increased droughts, fire risk, storms in Western Europe), growing insect attacks and growing social demands, Reforest'Action (re)plants or regenerates forests by relying on forest diversity as an ally, alongside more than 65 project leaders in the field. The 2019-2020 season has enabled us to deploy 263 projects throughout France. Whether they involve projects to restore forests affected by natural hazards, revitalize impoverished forests, reforest abandoned agricultural land, create hedgerows or create urban forests, all of our projects in France aim to make forests more resistant to natural hazards and climate change, and to strengthen their multifunctionality, i.e. all of their social, economic and environmental benefits.
Restoration of degraded forests in Belgium
With only 23% of its territory covered by forests, Belgium is not a very wooded. The Belgian forest fulfils social, economic, environmental and landscape functions. It consists mainly of spruce, oak and deciduous trees. Like the French forest, the Belgian forest is nowadays increasingly affected by diseases. The Walloon region, which is the most wooded region of the country with 79% of the Belgian forest cover, is particularly affected by attacks by bark beetles, a devastating insect. It is in this context that Reforest'Action is working with Sylva Nova and Urban Forests to help restore degraded forests and extend the country's forest cover.
Restoration of degraded forests in Luxembourg
Luxembourg has a forest cover of 34.8%. Mostly composed of deciduous trees, these forests are distributed within the four major ecological zones of the Oesling, Gutland, Moselle and Minette rivers. Like the Belgian forests, with which they are adjoining, they are nowadays suffering from diseases and attacks by pathogenic insects that are damaging their health and their capacity to resist drought and climatic hazards. It is in this context that Reforest'Action is working with Sylva Nova to help restore degraded forests and diversify the species that make them up.
Creating a diversified forest in the Netherlands
Located in Baarle, the Netherlands, the project is rooted in the cross-border province of North Brabant. This predominantly agricultural region has a rather low afforestation rate, in line with the rest of the country, which amounts to only 9% of its surface area. In order to develop the forest cover of the Netherlands, the government has launched a reforestation program some twenty years ago. It is in this context that Reforest'Action has joined forces with Sylva Nova to develop this project to create a diversified forest.
Restoration of a storm-affected forest in Poland
Affected by a storm in 2017, the Lipusz forest in the Pomeranian region is in need of restoration. After two years of work to remove the trees felled by the storm, the phase of reconstitution and replanting of the forest will last until 2023. Among the species planted are pine, the species that originally made up the forest, as well as hardwood species such as beech, birch, oak and a mixture of forest fruit trees such as cherry, rowan and wild apple. The project will increase the forest's resistance to disease and possible future hazards.
Reforestation in Ireland
Ireland is one of the five least forested countries in Europe, with only 11% of its land area covered by forest. This is due to the expansion of agriculture, which leaves only the smallest share to forests. To remedy this, the Irish government has committed itself to replanting 440 million trees in 2019 by 2040 on its territory. It is in this context that Reforest'Action is joining forces with Sylva Nova to support reforestation projects in Ireland, with a high biodiversity potential.
Diversification and restoration of forests in Italy
In Italy, hardwood and softwood monocultures are tending to replace the original forests since the end of the Second World War. However, this model of silvicultural management has rapidly reached its limits, making forests more vulnerable to hazards and not allowing biodiversity to develop. Reforest'Action is partnering with Sylva Nova to diversify and revitalize forests in Pomino and Prato, and to restore a forest affected by storm Vaïa in the vicinity of Carano.
Forest restoration in Spain
The Spanish forest is the third largest forest area in Europe. Valuable for everything From this point of view, it is a source of many benefits: preservation of local biodiversity, water filtration, prevention of soil erosion, etc. However, in a context of climate change in Europe, Spanish forests are regularly affected by diseases, fires and storms that degrade them and have serious consequences for society. It is in this context that Reforest'Action is joining forces with Sylva Nova to restore burnt forests in Palencia and strengthen the country's forest cover by afforestation of abandoned agricultural plots in the Jarama Valley.
Restoration of burnt forests in Portugal
In Portugal, several hundred thousand hectares of forests have been destroyed by fire over the last 20 years. In 2018 and 2019, nearly 100,000 hectares will still be burned, particularly near Monchique and Marvao, where our projects are located. These events received a lot of media attention during the last wave of fires in 2018. However, little funding from international solidarity was collected and distributed in the field. Reforest'Action is therefore working together with Sylva Nova to reforest the regions that have been affected by forest fires in recent years. Faced with the challenges linked to these dry forests, which are conducive to the outbreak of recurring fires, we are working alongside forest owners to adapt forest management, notably by diversifying the species present in the forests to make them more fire-resistant.
