Photo by Ewa Zin
Project overview
Transnational Cooperation on nature-based solutions for restoring degraded forests of Central Europe
Forests in central Europe are suffering from climate change, physical disturbances and unsustainable management. To reverse their decline requires joint restoration efforts beyond borders but there are no commonly agreed restoration definitions and guidelines, yet. The RE-ENFORCE project addresses this absence by drafting a transnational restoration strategy, based on experiences made in pilot actions with a newly developed, web-based decision support system. The partners also introduce innovative financing options like carbon markets, which will help securing a participatory, long-term approach to forest restoration.
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2,60m €
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Project Budget
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80%
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of the Budget is funded by ERDF
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8
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Countries
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9
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Regions
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9
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Partners
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6
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Pilots
Duration
Start date
End date
Project progress
About the project
Within the project, several Pilot Action areas (i.e., forest trial sites for testing restoration measures) were
established across Central Europe to investigate different drivers of forest degradation and to test
restoration strategies under real management conditions. These transnational Pilot Actions cover a wide
range of disturbance drivers, including ash dieback, drought stress, fire, bark beetle outbreaks, storm
damage, and inappropriate management of riparian forests. The pilot areas are located in Austria, Croatia,
Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Poland, and are implemented in close cooperation with
research institutions, forest managers, and protected area authorities. They help researchers to study the drivers of degradation and provide a testing ground for nature-based solutions. A common understanding of the drivers of degradation and possible nature-based solutions is a step forward in the harmonization of nature conservation policies in Central Europe
Project partnership
Project partners
Lead partner
Austrian Research Centre for Forests
Institut für Waldwachstum, Waldbau und Genetik
Project partner
Croatian Forest Research Institute
Total partner budget
268,629 €
Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
Total partner budget
234,061 €
Department of Forest Planning, Forest Research, Information Systems / Division Forest Research
Total partner budget
245,086 €
Duna-Dráva National Park Directorate
Total partner budget
207,901 €
Fertő-Hanság National Park Directorate
Total partner budget
200,731 €
Forest Research Institute
Total partner budget
258,512 €
TESAF
Total partner budget
215,740 €
Slovenian Forestry Institute
Total partner budget
294,225 €
Roadmap
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Step 1 — The Challenge
Ewa Zin
Forests across Central Europe are facing severe droughts, pest outbreaks, and storms. Local forest actors struggle to preserve forest health and ecosystem services under accelerating climate change.
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Step 2 — Fragmented Responses
Forest organizations often work in isolation, employing disparate methods and datasets amid multiple drivers of forest degradation. Such fragmentation hampers knowledge exchange and undermines collective capacity to respond to regional and transboundary challenges.
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Step 3 — The Idea
What if forest actors could join forces across borders—sharing experiences, tools, and knowledge to strengthen the resilience of Central European forests?
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Step 4 — The RE-ENFORCE Solution
Marcin Klisz
RE-ENFORCE connects forest administrations, research institutions, and practitioners to co-create and test solutions for forest resilience. It promotes integrated adaptation strategies and builds a shared framework for monitoring and decision-making.
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Step 5 — How It Works
Through pilot actions in diverse Central European regions, RE-ENFORCE tests innovative tools, modelling approaches, and adaptive practices, drafting a transnational restoration strategy, based on experiences made in pilot actions. It develops a web-based decision support system.
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Step 6 — Results in Motion
Ewa Zin
In RE-ENFORCE pilot regions, partners test resilience assessment tools and adaptive measures directly in the field. They involve forest managers and local stakeholders to co-develop practical guidelines that support evidence-based decisions for more resilient and multifunctional forests.
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Step 7 — Lasting Impact
Katja Sonnenschein
RE-ENFORCE will deliver a tested Forest Resilience Toolbox and a transferable framework for assessing and strengthening forest resilience. These outcomes will enhance regional governance, support data-driven decision-making, and empower Central European actors to manage forests adaptively in a changing climate.
News
Events
Pilot actions
Outputs
Transnational strategy for the restoration of degraded forest ecosystems
The jointly developed forest restoration strategy will develop a roadmap for the restoration of six types of degraded forests in CE. The strategy will be realized via the final version of the transnational strategy. This strategy will be taken up by all PPs and APs and is expected to be utilized by forest managers, forest enterprises, conservation authorities, and scientists across CE.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development
- Draft Transnational strategy for the restoration of degraded forest ecosystems
- Review of economic instruments related to forest restoration
- Transnational database on drivers of forest degradation and management recommendations
- Evaluation of Draft Transnational Forest Restoration Strategy
- Stakeholder Survey on Forest Regeneration
Transnational guidelines for restoring degraded forests through Nature-Based Solutions
This output compiles 6 jointly developed solutions for restoring forests affected by specific drivers of degradation addressed by each pilot action. The solution is a set of six guidelines for restoring degraded forests through NBS.
Type of output: Solutions
In development
Project videos
Project documents
🚀🌲 RE-ENFORCE UAV mission update: Monitoring forest recovery from above – now on film!
Monitoring forest recovery from above – now on film!
🌳 How do Central European forests recover, adapt, and rebuild after disturbance? Within the RE-ENFORCE project, our teams are combining ground-based measurements with UAV (drone) monitoring to better understand forest recovery, resilience, and restoration. By linking detailed field physiology with high-resolution aerial data, we are building a holistic picture of how forests respond to both natural disturbances and management interventions. 🎥 The University of Padova team has created a video that showcases all our pilot plots—illustrating the drivers of degradation at each site and the restoration or recovery actions underway. This visual story weaves together our fieldwork and UAV missions into one coherent overview of forest adaptation under diverse challenges. 📽️ Video author: Dr. Flavio Taccaliti, University of Padova 🎼 Music credit: Classical works from IMSLP (CC BY 4.0) + track from Pixabay (free license) 📸 Photo credit: Filip Andrejevic (Unsplash License) 🗺️ Map credit: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 🔗 Watch the video here: https://lnkd.in/dmHf3uup ℹ️ This video was produced within the RE-ENFORCE project, co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme. The content reflects only the authors’ views; programme authorities are not responsible for any use of the information contained.
Presentation of the Czech pilot action
Czech Republic Pilot Action
Since 2018, prolonged drought conditions and bark beetle infestations have degraded Norway spruce forest stands near Pilsen. In spring 2023, a recovery trial was established using Scots pine seedlings that had been subjected to drought stress during the seedling stage. A single plot is divided into two sections: drought-treated seedlings on one side and seedlings that were not exposed to drought stress on the other. We expect variations in resilience, growth rates, and survival between the two groups. This research contributes to the pilot actions aimed at developing methods for restoring degraded forests and will serve as a practical guide for future reforestation efforts under similar conditions. Location: 49.8516714 N, 13.4085067 E
Web-based 3D models of the Pilot Actions
Web-based 3D models of the Pilot Actions
See our Pilot Actions in 3D! 3D models representing the terrain and the vegetation surface, optimised for viewing in browsers. Go to https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/89816b560c344e5caf718b9d983c10a7, press on the arrows on the right side to select the site, then the three dots and zoom in! Like this: https://www.interreg-central.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/3D-pilot-actions.png
Interviews
Interview with Prof. John Stanturf
Interview by BFW
Interview with Assoc. Prof. Jan Stejskal, Ph.D.
Podcast plný života (CZU Prague)
RE-ENFORCE on RadioPiu
RadioPiu in Italy presenting RE-ENFORCE work
RE-ENFORCE on Radio Bialystok
Radio Bialystok in Poland presenting RE-ENFORCE work
Magazine articles
Presentation of RE-ENFORCE project in Germany
Article about the RE-ENFORCE project in Landesforstanstalt M-V Institute Magazine
Presentation of RE-ENFORCE team Germany and their work
RE-ENFORCE in Nordkurier magazine
Presentation of RE-ENFORCE team Italy and their work
RE-ENFORCE in Sherwood magazine
Presentation of RE-ENFORCE team Poland and their work
RE-ENFORCE in Las Polski magazine
Presentation of RE-ENFORCE team Slovenia and their work
Presentation of RE-ENFORCE project in forestry magazine Gozdarski vestnik
RE-ENFORCE workshop for authorities in Slovenia
RE-ENFORCE in Gozdarski vestnik magazine
RE-ENFORCE in German report on forests
RE_ENFORCE in Landesforst Forstbericht
TV appearance
RE-ENFORCE on Slovenian national TV
Presentation of natural based solutions in forest restoration
RE-ENFORCE
The project lead partner is responsible for the content of this project website.
Project on social media
Project Contacts
Communication Manager
Katja Kavčič Sonnenschein
Email: katja.sonnenschein@gozdis.si
Phone: +386 1 200 7802