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Faculty of Forestry UNSA signs grant agreement with European Forest Institute for implementation of NATMIXFOR project

Šumarski fakultet UNSA potpisao ugovor o grantu s European Forest Institute za realizaciju projekta NATMIXFOR
Thursday, October 9, 2025 - 11:35

The University of Sarajevo – Faculty of Forestry has signed a grant agreement with the European Forest Institute (EFI), Finland, for the implementation of the project entitled Climate smart natural mixed forest – NATMIXFOR. Grant number G-03-2024 entitled Establishing Climate-Smart Forestry and forest restoration pilots in Europe is EUR 139,760.9.

The project will start on 1 April 2025, and the project will last 18 months.

This project will implement part of the activities required for the implementation of the FORWARDS project (Towards an observatory or the resilience of European forests), funded by the EU. The FORWARDS project will develop a prototype of the ForestWard Observatory, a pan-European monitoring and evaluation tool that will help demonstrate the impacts of climate change on forests, guiding decision-making for practical forest management. The FORWARDS consortium includes 19 partners from 11 countries, each covering a specific area of ​​expertise, one of which is the European Forest Institute (EFI) from Finland.

Expected project results at global level

The FORWARDS project aims to develop a prototype of the ForestWard Observatory – a European observatory for the impacts of climate change on forests – a long-term practical decision-support tool:

  • at European and national levels to provide a strategic perspective on disturbances, future risks and critical vulnerabilities and threats to European forests;
  • at regional and local levels to provide more operational information for local management practices and CSF (climate-smart forests) and their restoration

Role of the University of Sarajevo’s Faculty of Forestry

Bosnia and Herzegovina is characterized by forests that represent biodiversity hotspots, consisting of a rich diversity of tree, shrub and ground vegetation species. A factor that sets Bosnia and Herzegovina apart in Europe, in addition to its high biodiversity, is the presence of large areas of intact forest ecosystems, which serve as key reservoirs for endangered and rare species, carbon storage and climate change resilience, offering unique opportunities for conservation and sustainable development efforts.

Within the NATMIXFOR project, 12 experimental plots in mixed beech, fir and spruce forests will be established, of which six plots will be in managed forests and six plots in intact primary forests, which will serve as reference locations.

Using the ICP Forests methodology (The International Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests) and Climate-Smart Forestry indicators, the Faculty of Forestry will conduct analyses that will contribute to understanding the impact of forest management on biodiversity, forest health and resilience. The results will serve as a basis for recommendations in shaping sustainable and adaptive forestry practices, both in BiH and at the European level. In addition, the study will assess the effectiveness of climate-smart forestry indicators, contributing to more targeted adaptation strategies for different forest types and climatic regions. This will contribute to the creation of an integrated adaptation roadmap, offering recommendations for climate-smart forestry practices across Europe.

 

More information available on the official project website: https://forwards-project.eu/

 

Project brochure:

POSTER-BROSURA NATMIXFOR – Climate smart natural mixed forest