Research

EFI's mission is to carry out research of European forests, forestry and forest products, especially in order to support policy-making and decision-taking. EFI addresses research issues of pan-European interest with a network of leading experts.

EFI maintains and develops competencies in tools and methodologies which enable international comparisons and future projections in strategic research issues. These include, for example, the European Forest Resources Scenario Modelling ( EFISCEN), Global Forest Sector Model (EFI-GTM), sustainability impact assessment of the forest sector, and forest mapping applications.

EFI’s research directions are as follows:

1. Forests for multiple needs

  • Sustainability Impact Assessment
  • Decision-support tools and predictive models for timber and non-timber products and services
  • Ecosystem services (biodiversity, forests and water)
  • Multi-objective forest management
  • Supply, demand and value chains of timber and other forest products and services
  • Forests and landscape


2. Forests, climate and energy

  • Impacts of and adaptation to climate change
  • Bioenergy potentials, harvested wood products
  • Policy instruments for governing issues related to forests, climate and energy
  • Risk assessment
  • Forest fires
  • Other (a)biotic disturbances


3. Forest sector governance

  • Competitiveness of the forest sector
  • Mobilising private forestry
  • Combatting illegal logging
  • Setting timber procurement policies
  • National forest policies
  • Science-policy interface
  • Good governance and policy development


4. Future of forests and research

  • State of the art and capacities
  • Foresight studies
  • Emerging policy needs
  • Capacity building


Research is carried out in four research programmes based at the headquarters in Joensuu, Finland, Regional Office EFIMED based in Barcelona, and EFI Project Centres co-ordinated by EFI member organisations in different parts of Europe.

EFI has a Scientific Advisory Board, which advises the EFI in scientific matters and is especially responsible for reviewing and monitoring the scientific quality of the EFI’s activities.