The EU Forest Strategy for 2030 provides a roadmap to implement the 3 billion additional trees pledge to reverse the current trend of biodiversity loss and climate change. The pledge aims to double the EU’s forests expansion rate under the business-as-usual scenario, by promoting the planting of 3 billion additional trees by 2030 in three overarching ecosystems: forests, agriculture, and urban areas. This ambitious initiative, requires the involvement of relevant stakeholders in the tree planting process on the ground together with others working at a regional or national level providing the necessary support for the success of this EU pledge.
Thus Milieu is leading an EU-funded project to support the Commission in identifying relevant tree planting initiatives that could be registered to count for the 3 Billion trees pledge, involving relevant stakeholders in the 3 billion trees pledge, providing guidance on funding available to promote tree planting in the EU and understanding the challenges stakeholders face to develop planting trees initiatives in the EU territory. This project is led by Milieu with the involvement of Ecologic Institute and Stritih.
The aim is to achieve positive climate mitigation and adaptation effects and contribute to biodiversity. In addition, the tree planting pledge will benefit the economy, create jobs, and improve public health. To maximise benefits for climate and biodiversity, the European Commission has published guidelines on afforestation and reforestation and on Funding opportunities. The 3 Billion Trees initiative aims to promote the planting of the right tree, in the right place for the right purpose. The planting initiatives will need to fulfil the principle of additionality and climate and biodiversity objectives, which favours the planting of native tree species resilient to climate change. The additionality principle means that the planting trees initiatives go beyond business as usual and legal obligations, not be harvested in the coming decades, and follow ecological objectives rather than business purpose. The EU Forest Strategy was accompanied by a Commission Staff Working Document – SWD (2021) 651 – on the 3 billion trees planting pledge for 2030 which describes the core principles and criteria. Please check the European Commission website to know more about it.
Past events: shared material
Insights, shared documents and presentations, and general information of past events.
How to register your planted trees
Discover here the procedure to register your planted trees, be part of the Pledge, and contribute to the change!
