Environment

European forests, more hectares but less biodiversity. And the risk of fires increases

Between 2001 and 2021, tree cover in Europe increased by 1% or 1.5 million hectares. Fewer tall forests but more suitable for CO2 capture

by Daniela Russo

27 May 2026

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Forests grow but become impoverished
The war in Ukraine has changed Europe's forests
The South is burning: fires, drought and climate feedback
The EU response
A Look Beyond the Old World

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The face of European forests is changing, through a slow but steady transformation that brings with it new challenges. Statistics indicate a slight expansion of tree cover in the Old Continent, but a deeper analysis uncovers worrying dynamics: distorted ageing forests, monocultures vulnerable to fire, increasingly devastating fires in the Mediterranean and a paradox of spontaneous reforestation advancing without criteria. Photographing this scenario is the World Resources Institute (Wri), through its Global Forest Watch platform.

"Approximately 90% of the loss of tree cover in Europe is attributable to logging activities, such as logging, biomass production for energy, and the timber industry," explains Sarah Carter, research associate of Global Forest Watch at the Wri. "In general, we expect forests to recover, either through reforestation or natural regeneration, but this does not mean that the phenomenon is without risk

Forests grow but become impoverished

The WRI data, compiled in collaboration with the Glad Lab at the University of Maryland, show thatb>between 2001 and 2021, Europe experienced a net increase in tree cover of about 1%, or 1.5 million hectares. Against this positive result, there was a significant reduction in the share of tall forests, with trees over 15 metres, the richest in biodiversity and the most effective in carbon sequestration: they lost 2.25 million hectares. The Nordic region (Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark) recorded the sharpest declines: -3.5% of total forests and -20% of high forests in the last two decades.

'When a mature forest is felled or burnt, it often grows back,' Carter explains, 'but the new trees take decades to achieve the climatic and ecosystem benefits of a mature forest. In many cases, where only one or two species are planted in place of diverse stands, those benefits may never fully return."

The problem does not only affect Northern Europe. In many areas of the continent there is spontaneous reforestation, fuelled by the abandonment of agricultural land. A phenomenon that may seem positive, but in practice often produces dense, unmanaged monocultures, potentially very vulnerable to fire.

The war in Ukraine has changed European forests

An unexpected factor has aggravated the pressure on the continent's forests: the Ukrainian conflict. With the need to reduce dependence on Russian gas, several EU countries have loosened constraints on timber harvesting for energy use. The most emblematic case is that of Hungary, which in 2023 recorded the highest annual level of tree cover loss since surveys began (-33% compared to the previous year), coinciding with an increase in bioenergy production and a relaxation of logging regulations.

According to the report JRC Publications - The use of woody biomass for energy production in the EU, approximately half of the wood produced in the EU is used for energy production. A dependence that puts pressure especially on the large northern forest countries, such as Finland and Sweden, which lost 1.1 per cent of their tree cover in 2023, which is higher than the EU average of 0.85 per cent.

The South is burning: fires, drought and climate feedback

While the North pays the price for intensive deforestation, Southern Europe faces a different and increasingly urgent emergency: fire. In 2025, Spain and Portugal saw 60% of their tree cover loss caused by fire. A figure that places the Mediterranean on trajectories similar to those of the dry tropics.

'The fire risk is very high in some areas of southern Europe,' says Carter, 'and these are hardly ever purely natural phenomena. Often fires are spread due to human activities or negligence. If the area is dry, the fire spreads easily'.

The problem is aggravated by a vicious circle: fires produce CO₂ emissions, which accelerate global warming, which makes areas hotter and drier, increasing the frequency and intensity of fires. 'Unless we break this cycle, things will get worse,' Carter comments. 'Changing forestry practices takes time, because you can't decide overnight to change species.

Further complicating the picture is the widespread presence in southern Europe of highly flammable species such as eucalyptus, which, in the event of a fire, make the fire front very difficult to contain. Young forests, which are becoming increasingly widespread as a result of reforestation activities, are also particularly vulnerable.

'Northern and Southern Europe present completely different challenges,' Carter summarises. 'In the North, the problem is intensive management and the loss of high forests. In the South it is fire. But in both cases, climate change is amplifying pre-existing pressures'.

The EU's response

The European Commission did not stand idly by. The Nature Restoration Law introduces critical safeguards for remaining primary forests and restoration obligations. In March 2026, the EU adopted a specific strategy on forest fire resilience, addressing prevention, preparedness and emergency response. The Forest Monitoring Framework proposes a harmonised forest health monitoring system in all member states. But the standard is not enough: 'The strategy is useful, but the actions on the ground must take place in parallel. Landowners, forest managers, local communities must be involved. We need better data, more timely monitoring, to really understand what is happening to our forests,' Carter explains.

A look beyond the Old World

While Europe faces a silent but structural crisis, the global picture of tropical forests offers encouraging news for once. According to data from the University of Maryland's Glad Lab, made available through WRI's Global Forest Watch platform, the loss of primary tropical forests in 2025 is down 36 per cent from the negative record of 2024. In absolute terms, the planet lost 4.3 million hectares of primary rainforest. Part of the decline reflects a pause after a year of extreme fires.

A large part of the global reduction is due to Brazil. In 2025, non-fire-related primary forest loss dropped 41% compared to 2024, reaching an all-time low since surveys began. The decline coincides with the strengthening of environmental policies under President Lula, including the relaunch of the federal anti-deforestation plan PPCDAm and the tightening of penalties for environmental crimes.

The risks for the Amazon, however, have not disappeared. Permanent agricultural expansion remains the main driver of deforestation (73% of losses between 2002 and 2025), mainly for soya and cattle breeding. Some Amazon states are dismantling environmental protections at the local level, threatening to frustrate federal progress. Political uncertainty prompted major soya traders to announce in early 2026 their intention to withdraw from the voluntary moratorium prohibiting the purchase of soya produced on deforested land in the Amazon.

Despite the overall improvement, 2025 confirmed an alarming trend: fires have become the main vector of forest destruction on a global scale. The total loss of tree cover is 25.5 million hectares, 11 million of which can be attributed to fires.