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Successful projects kick off under FORWARDS funding initiative

June 24th, 2024

FORWARDS project funds innovative climate-smart forestry and restoration initiatives.

Press Release, June 24, 2024

The FORWARDS initiative on Climate-Smart Forestry (CSF) and forest restoration has funded numerous projects through its open calls, and they are now kicking-off. This funding marks a significant step in establishing the ForestWard Observatory and advancing climate-smart restoration pilots across Europe.

FORWARDS works with several established networks on CSF & Restoration, using five dedicated grant calls to enhance forest observations and evaluate possible measures. The initiative aims to launch at least five calls, anticipating about 50 funded projects to support the implementation and scaling-up of climate-smart restoration pilots.

The project focuses on several key areas:

1. Pilot Network of Long-Term Climate Impact Forest Monitoring Sites

This theme supports the installation of new measurement equipment and the maintenance of existing equipment at monitoring pilots, with about 15 grants available.

2. Disturbance Characterisation

Eight grants are dedicated to providing a Europe-wide and statistically robust disturbance assessment and detailing cause-effect relationships for disturbances in and around CSF and restoration priority areas.

3. CSF and Forest Restoration Pilots

With a duration of 18 months and grants distributed in multiple batches, this theme supports the establishment of new CSFs and forest restoration trials, field measurements, and analysis of the practices' effectiveness. The first batch launched on July 31, 2023, with 15 grants available. Applications are now open here.

4. Citizen and Stakeholder Engagement in CSF and Forest Restoration

Fifteen grants are available to implement innovative social engagement activities, including stakeholder surveys, workshops, and other interactive formats for knowledge development, collective learning, and joint planning. Applications are now open here.

5. Knowledge to Practice

This theme, with two grants available, supports the development of web applications that relate to the ForestWard Observatory and draw on its datasets.

Funded Projects Kicking Off

The following projects have been selected for funding and are starting operations:

CSFagus4EST, Institute of Lowland Forestry and Environment, Novi Sad, Serbia
iSINK, Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania
MIXFOR, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
MONIMED, Centro de Investigación Ecológica y Aplicaciones Forestales, Barcelona, Spain
VARCLIREFOR, Universiteit Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands

These projects represent a diverse and collaborative effort across Europe, helping the FORWARDS project to promote sustainable forest management and climate resilience. For more information about the projects and upcoming grant opportunities, please visit the FORWARDS website.

Contacts

PROJECT COORDINATOR Professor Ruben Valbuena
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
coordinator@forwards-project.eu

COMMUNICATION SECRETARIAT Ms. Angela Marzorati
Fondazione ICONS
info@forwards-project.eu

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Citation: Successful projects kick off under FORWARDS funding initiative (2024, June 24) retrieved 28 June 2024 from https://sciencex.com/wire-news/480673237/successful-projects-kick-off-under-forwards-funding-initiative.html

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