Europe’s forests contribute substantially to human prosperity and well-being. Forests have been subject to intensive research for centuries. However, new developments such as climate change as well as other environmental and societal changes are challenging our current knowledge about sustainable management of forests. These challenges have been partly addressed by a number of past and ongoing research projects and COST Actions, but a synthesis of what we know and what we do not know regarding the future of forests is needed.

This 2-day event will bring together a group of approximately 30 scientists to discuss the challenges and research needs for making projections about the future of Europe’s forests under climate and global change.

The main objectives of the event are to assess the scientific state-of-the-art for making projections of forest responses to global and climate change; to summarise and map the results and impacts of previous COST Actions and European projects on this topic; and to identify gaps in research and opportunities for enhanced collaboration at the European level. The workshop will gather senior scientists and Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) from throughout Europe in an innovative and highly participative format that guarantees an attractive and original event.

A key aim of the workshop is to produce a scientific roadmap for organising research efforts and highlighting crucial knowledge gaps regarding the projection of forest responses to climate and environmental change. By synthesising earlier projects and allowing for the development of new research foci, the workshop will identify key scientific progress that is needed to support the long-term sustainable management of Europe’s forests.

Moreover, the workshop is intended to foster further collaboration among participants, especially rAusschneidenegarding joint applications to EU programmes (e.g. projects within Horizon 2020, COST Actions, etc.) as well as within existing programmes.