European forest resources in mountain areas

In its Communication on a forestry strategy for the European Union, the Commission declares that "the overall objective of the EU forestry strategy should be to strengthen sustainable forest development and management as stated in the "Forest Principles" adopted by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and as defined in the resolutions adopted at the pan-European Ministerial Conferences on the Protection of Forests". 24 countries and the European commission, signatories in Strasbourg of the Resolution S4 "Adapting the management of mountain forests to new environmental conditions" recognised the importance of those forests representing more than 25 percent of the European forest resources - "fragmented" at the national, regional and local level and ranging from the Mediterranean, to the Alpine, Boreal, Central and Eastern European zone. They reaffirmed at the Lisbon Conference their willingness to reinforce the implementation of commitments taken at Strasbourg and Helsinki through the definition of a Programme of Work. By virtue of an accrued multifunctionality of a recognised environmental fragility and a set of permanent natural handicaps, mountain regions, and the forest resources being an integral part of them, deserve a special attention at the international and European level. The present document aims at:

• recalling facts and issues justifying a coordinated action at the European level, within the follow-up of the ministerial process Resolution S4,
• defining the content of the coordination and follow-up action,
• identifying the results expected by such an action.

This document integrates the results of a consultation carried out with the signatory countries on the importance and the role of mountain forests and on the strengthening of the Resolution S4.