EoE Forest with Belarus – Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the European Forest Risk Facility

EoE Forest: Storm, Risk and Forest-Resilience management across Belarus-Germany-France-Basque Country, 15-21 April 2018

This EoE was facilitated by the European Forest Risk Facility, hosted by EFI´s Resilience Program. It was supported by the World Bank and financed by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)

Triggered by a severe storm event in 2016, the World Bank with support from the The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) approached the EFI European Forest Risk Facility to arrange this “EoE Forest”. The Forest Risk Facility then activated the storm experts within the network, namely regions that were affected by storms “Vivien”, “Wiebke” and “Lothar” (Germany) and storms “Martin” and “Klaus” (France).

During April 2018 we could then finally receive 14 guests from the Belorussian forestry sector! We could share expertise and exchange an immense amount of information between Germany , France and Belarus. We started in the Black Forest and we were hosted by the Forest Research Institute of Baden-Wuerttemberg FVA. Their forest risk network KonnektiW is serving as the regional node of the Forest Risk Facility. After 2,5 intensive days with…. storm risk management workshop, Ash Dieback, Bark Beetle, Storm management, timber storage, deer management, invasive species and a lot more forester topics from the Rhine River up to the high altitudes of the Black Forest, the group moved on to Aquitaine,France! Aquitaine….1 million ha of Maritime Pine plantations! Wow!


We were received by the team of EFI´s Planted Forests Facillity with a great program! Again, we started indoors with a comprehensive introduction on the forestry system in Nouvelle Aquitaine and the massive storm events in 1999 and 2009, namely storms Martin and Klaus. The plantation context was very different from the mixed mountain forest in the Black Forest, and all discussed topics had therefore of course a new perspective. This provided for truly intensive discussions!!
The seminar session continued with presentations of different representative of the forestry sector in Nouvelle Aquitaine about dealing with wind damage to forest and public risk management coordination, from the different perspectives of private and public forest managers and regional forest authorities. In addition to the French and Belorussian experts, a group of forest experts from the Basque Country, Spain joined the expert exchange to present how similar forest risks are managed on their forests. Their attendance formed part of the PLURIFOR project aiming at sharing experiences and innovation to improve transboundary risk management plans. All this provided for truly intensive discussions!
On the second day, we were taken out and about to young maritime pine stands with different types of plantation management, a wet timber storage site established after the blown down events, a sawmill and a seedling nursery to gain an insight into how forest owners, associations, administrations and industry coped and are still coping after Storm Klaus!
A full report of this EoE is published on the RiskPlatform.