In reaction to the European Commission’s on going work to include Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) in the 2030 climate and energy framework, the Confederation of European Forest Owners (CEPF) welcomes the ambition to include LULUCF in the 2030 framework. It is imperative, however, that the framework supports and promotes increased forest growth and substitution and recognises sustainable forest management and the use of wood-based products as effective means to mitigate climate change.
 
Europe’s forests are a growing resource and through sustainable management and the use of wood to replace fossil-based materials and energy the best long-term climate benefits are reached. Forests can contribute both to increasing carbon sinks and reducing carbon emissions, making them indispensable to reaching the climate and energy targets, and to progressing towards a bioeconomy. For this to happen, further investments to boost forest growth and demand for wood-based products, existing as well as new innovative products, are needed.
 
Given the clear link between the climate policy framework and the bioeconomy, CEPF urges the European Commission and the Member States to tap into the full potential of forests and wood-based products, and to create the appropriate incentives to mitigate climate change and move towards a fossil-free economy. Sustainably managing forests and using wood already is and has to be part of the solution to combat climate change.
 
In context of the global climate conference in Paris, the EU should strive for a common, global framework on LULUCF, where accounting applies to all countries.