Forest restoration in practice – lessons learned from 12 demo sites

Gesche Schifferdecker on January 23, 2026

SUBERB demo sites

Restoring forests is as much a social, institutional, and economic endeavor as it is an ecological one. Across regions, landscapes, and governance contexts, restoration initiatives have generated a wealth of experience – what worked, what didn’t, and what must change to achieve lasting impact. This Lessons Learned booklet brings together insights from our 12 large-scale restoration sites, grounded in real-world practice rather than theory alone.

The lessons presented here are not prescriptive recipes. Instead, they highlight recurring patterns, critical success factors, and persistent bottlenecks encountered in forest restoration efforts. Together, they underline a central truth: successful restoration is a long-term process that depends on people, policies, and institutions working in concert with ecological systems.

By distilling these lessons, the booklet aims to support practitioners, decision-makers, and funders in designing restoration efforts that are durable, scalable, and context-sensitive – moving from isolated projects toward sustained landscape transformation.

Key Messages

  1. Forest restoration is a long-term commitment.
    Restoration cannot be achieved through one-off interventions; it requires sustained engagement, adaptive management, and long-term vision.
  2. Disturbance can be a catalyst for change.
    Catastrophic natural events – particularly in single-species monocultures – often expose structural vulnerabilities and can trigger more ambitious and transformative restoration efforts.
  3. Local communities are central to success.
    Communities are not only beneficiaries but essential partners in restoration. Meaningful involvement must begin early and be supported through continuous, trust-building processes.
  4. Finance and institutions matter – but gaps remain.
    Stable public funding and institutional support are fundamental. At present, voluntary private finance mechanisms fall short of delivering the scale and reliability needed for restoration.
  5. Demonstration sites accelerate learning.
    Practical demonstrations provide tested and transferable models, showing how restoration can work across diverse ecological and socio-economic contexts.
  6. Restoration costs are highly variable.
    Costs depend on landscape conditions, the intensity and complexity of measures, spatial fragmentation, and opportunity costs for land users.
  7. Scaling up requires policy alignment.
    Successful upscaling depends on aligning local practices and needs with broader policy frameworks and regulatory environments.
  8. Knowledge infrastructures ensure lasting impact.
    Systems for consolidating and sharing knowledge are essential to move beyond individual projects and to support institutions responsible for national restoration planning.

New SUPERB policy brief: forest restoration as a pillar of Europe’s climate and biodiversity action

Gesche Schifferdecker on December 17, 2025

SUBERB demo areas

Our newly released policy brief brings together scientific knowledge and hands-on experience from our 12 large-scale forest restoration initiatives across Europe, offering timely and practical guidance for policymakers, forest managers, and other key stakeholders.

The brief underlines that restoring forests is not a single action, but a long-term, multi-phase process. Effective restoration typically moves from assessing initial conditions and drivers of degradation, through planning and implementation, to long-term maintenance, monitoring, and evaluation. Success depends on flexibility, adaptive management, and strong engagement with multiple stakeholders, including forest owners, local communities, policymakers, and practitioners.

In the face of climate change, increasing disturbances, and shifting socio-economic demands, our policy brief stresses the need for future-oriented restoration targets. These should focus not only on biodiversity, but also on the ecosystem services forests provide – such as carbon storage, water regulation, and recreation – and the ecological processes that sustain them. Because the benefits of restoration often become visible only after decades, our brief highlights the critical importance of sustained funding for monitoring and adaptive management.

Drawing on insights from our 12 large-scale forest restoration demonstration areas across Europe, our experts identified shared challenges despite the diversity of forest types, ownership structures, and management traditions. Key issues include high ungulate browsing pressure that damages young trees and increases restoration costs, difficulties in engaging private forest owners – who manage around 60% of Europe’s forests – and constraints related to forest reproductive materials, such as shortages of climate-adapted seeds and seedlings.

To address these challenges, the brief puts forward clear and actionable recommendations. These include increasing flexibility in restoration objectives and timelines, adapting hunting and forest reproductive materials legislation, and strengthening monitoring of browsing impacts. Further recommendations suggest improving dialogue among forest managers, hunters, and communities, and supporting nurseries through long-term planning and investment. Our experts also call for contingency planning to cope with natural disturbances and for the strategic use of pioneer and climate-adapted species to build resilient mixed forests.

By translating lessons learned from real-world restoration efforts into policy-relevant recommendations, this policy brief provides a valuable roadmap for scaling up forest restoration across Europe. At a time when resilient forests are more important than ever, it offers concrete guidance to help turn ambitious restoration commitments into lasting outcomes.

Reference: Filipek, S., Jacobs, S., Nabuurs, GJ., Barnkob Lehrmann, M., Bílek, L., Campana, F., Cotten, L., de Dios, J., de Graaf, M., de Guerry, B., Đodan, M., Galić, Z., Gallego, R., García, R., Gómez Fernández, M., Granberg, Å., Hoch, T., Jactel, H., Janzen, L., Lastra González, D., Lindner, M., Locatelli, T., Marušák, R., Mijatović, L., Nicoll, B., Oleagordia, Í., Olsen, H., Orazio, C., Olrik, D. C., Raats, L., Saini, M., Schmidt, C., Svoboda, M., Svensson, J., Tognetti, R., Vacchiano, G., Zorić, M., Zotta, M., Schatzdorfer, E. (2025): Common challenges in implementing forest restoration: Experiences from 12 large-scale demonstration areas across Europe. Policy brief. https://doi.org/10.36333/rs15

Learning from the land and learning from each other

superbadmin on June 2, 2025

Group discussion in the forest

Restoration experiences across Europe: from regional Germany to Europe

Restoration Story by Gesche Schifferdecker

Once upon a time, the forests of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany, were dominated by towering spruces. These fast-growing evergreens had been the region’s economic backbone for decades. But with the impacts of climate change, drought, and bark beetle infestations, about 60% of the spruce trees have vanished. Today, forestry experts support nature in writing a new story – one where beech, oak, and hornbeam are stepping into the spotlight.

That was the backdrop for a recent SUPERB workshop and excursion in NRW, where forest owners and managers, researchers, and policy experts from across Europe came together to share insights, challenges, and inspiration around upscaling forest restoration.

Rebuilding the forest: one tree at a time – and with a fence?

So how are forests in NRW bouncing back? About half of the affected areas have been reforested, either through planting or natural regeneration, we learned from our partners who are managing the NRW Demo Area. Private nurseries are the main source of seedlings, and forest owners receive subsidies depending on the type of forest they aim to develop. One of the quiet but persistent challenges of forest restoration is managing wildlife – particularly deer. In many parts of NRW and the rest of Europe, for example in Spain, high deer populations pose a serious threat to young trees, especially broadleaf species like oak and beech. Deer prefer tender shoots and bark for browsing and fraying, often stripping entire stands of newly planted saplings. To combat this, forest owners increasingly rely on fencing – but this is costly, labour-intensive, and not always feasible over large areas. The situation raises a bigger question in Europe: how should game populations be managed in landscapes undergoing ecological restoration? Balancing biodiversity goals with hunting traditions and wildlife protection requires careful dialogue and integrated game management strategies, the workshop participants emphasized. Without it, even the best restoration plans can be undone by hungry herbivores.

Protection of saplings (photo: Gesche Schifferdecker)
Planted oak tree (photo: Gesche Schifferdecker)

The challenge of restoring Natura 2000 areas

Looking at the NRW example, the group discussed that restoring forests within Natura 2000 areas presents a unique set of challenges. These protected zones are governed by strict conservation objectives, often focused on maintaining or restoring specific historic habitat types and species. At the same time, forests are dynamic, and as climate conditions shift, so do ecosystems. What grows well today may not survive tomorrow. This creates tension: how do we preserve a forest in its “official” state when nature itself is changing? Add to that the complexity of different interpretations of Natura 2000 regulations, and it becomes clear why many local implementers struggle. There’s also limited flexibility in adapting conservation plans to reflect new realities like drought, disease, or shifting species ranges – all of which are becoming more common in a warming world, the workshop participants agreed.

Learning from our neighbours

The workshop wasn’t just about NRW. Guests from Sweden, Spain, Serbia/Croatia, and other regions shared their stories, each with their own flavor:

  • Sweden is grappling with low biodiversity due to clear-cutting. So, when a rare bird – the white-backed woodpecker – was spotted, it sparked public interest and increased restoration action. Collaboration with indigenous Sámi communities and local municipalities shows that success often comes from working together.
  • Spain is planting chestnut trees to support both nature and rural communities, with a special focus on avoiding forest fires and supporting wildlife like the brown bear. Their secret for stakeholder engagement? Hosting workshops in the evenings or weekends, making it easier for people to join in.
  • Croatia and Serbia are working across borders to restore floodplain forests, aiming to replace degraded land with healthy oak woodlands. A strong partnership with policymakers and a high proportion of state-owned forests make their large-scale efforts possible.

Common ground and big questions

Throughout the event, a few big themes kept surfacing. Upscaling restoration is usually more complex than most people realise People often need new knowledge, enough plant supplies, and support to manage herbivores like deer. There’s also the human side: tensions around land use, different interpretations of conservation rules, and the challenge of aligning different stakeholders’ values.

However, the workshop demonstrated that there are many initiatives across Europe that show how through collaboration and holistic thinking our forests can thrive. For instance, in the Danube region, a dedicated Forest Restoration Task Force is making waves, bringing together stakeholders from all five countries of the biosphere reserve as a collaborative platform for advancing river, forest, and grassland restoration, nature-based solutions, sustainable agriculture, ecological monitoring, and more. Danish lawmakers have reached an agreement to plant one billion trees and transform 10% of the nation’s farmland into forests and natural habitats over the next two decades. And in Ireland, the Native Woodland Conservation (NWC) Scheme supports the restoration, conservation and enhancement of existing native woodlands.

Wrapping up: roots of a shared vision

As the workshop drew to a close, participants reflected on three key lessons:
Learn from the land. Learn from each other. Communicate and collaborate!

People may hold different views, shaped by local context, culture, and experience. But most – the so-called “silent majority” – are open to forest restoration, especially when they see its long-term value. What matters is bringing everyone to the table, building trust, and showing what’s possible – one tree, one site, and one community at a time.

NRW is setting the stage with a plan to establish 50 demonstration sites across the region. That way, forest owners and citizens won’t have to travel far to see restoration in action – they’ll find it growing just around the corner.

Group picture (photo: Gesche Schifferdecker)

How Europe’s restoration projects are shaping national plans

Daria Kononenko on May 8, 2025

Across Europe, there are 71 restoration sites — from Ireland’s peatlands to Romania’s forests. Since 2021, SUPERB and its sister projects MERLIN, REST-COAST and WaterLANDS have been working on the ground to restore forests, wetlands, rivers, and coasts, all funded under the Green Deal. 

Now the projects’ findings are helping countries draft National Restoration Plans (NRPs) — a key requirement under the EU’s new Nature Restoration Regulation. 

To support this process, over 100 experts — scientists, policymakers, and local stakeholders — met at the European Commission on 10 March 2025. The meeting focused on what has worked in practice, where challenges remain, and how field-based experience can help Member States design effective NRPs. 

The report Supporting the Development of National Restoration Plans brings together what’s been learned so far — practical tools, examples, and ideas that can help shape national restoration plans, including from SUPERB’s side: 

  • A soon-to-launch Forest Knowledge Gateway with guides on tree selection, funding, and more. 
  • Case studies from SUPERB’s 12 demonstration sites. 
  • Policy maps showing where national laws align or clash with restoration goals. 

With draft NRPs due by September 2026, SUPERB’s work aims at helping national partners to implement these tools — from policy alignment frameworks to site-specific restoration strategies tested across its demonstration area network. 

Read on the full report here

Photo: Anat art / Adobe Stock

10 Things We Can All Learn from the Evolution of Forest Restoration Initiatives in Europe 

Shan Gao on December 19, 2024

By Maitane Erdozain Ibarra, CTFC & Rina Tsubaki, EFI.

Forest restoration is far more than a modern buzzword—its history runs deeper than most realize. Yet, despite decades of effort, the lack of proper documentation of successes and failures has prevented us from truly learning from the past.  

Today, the global push for forest restoration is stronger than at any point in history. Initiatives like the European Nature Restoration Law are sparking hope and action. Now, more than ever, we need to look back and reflect on how forest restoration efforts have evolved, what sparked change, and what lessons past and present initiatives can offer. That will empower us to make forest restoration efforts more effective, impactful, and grounded — both now and in the future. 

A Europe-wide Study to Explore Trends, Patterns and Drivers of Forest Restoration 

Led by Maitane Erdozain and Sergio de Miguel from the Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC) and the University of Lleida (UDL), we published a study that examined narratives from 32 forest restoration experts in 18 European countries to uncover the history of forest restoration in Europe. The study asked experts to delve into six key areas—social, economic, political, technical, environmental and legal— to understand different drivers that shaped forest restoration across Europe. 

The analysis revealed fascinating trends and patterns. Early restoration efforts in central and southern Europe often arose in response to crises like natural disasters and timber shortages. While these initiatives were effective for erosion control and timber production, they often relied on monocultures and short rotations, limiting ecological benefits. The geopolitical upheavals of the 20th century pushed timber production to the forefront, with centralized management that usually favored productivity over biodiversity. Since the 1990s, however, we have started to see a shift: restoration now strives to balance environmental, social, and economic goals, driven by a growing appreciation for the multifunctionality of forests. 

Lessons from Successes and Failures in the Past and Present 

So, what are the drivers that shaped the development of forest restoration in Europe that we can learn from both the past and present?  

Here are 10 lessons we learned: 

  1. Natural disasters as catalysts: Major natural disturbances (floods, shifting sands etc.) triggered early restoration efforts in many countries. Over the past decades, environmental crises (climatic, biodiversity, water etc.) have also influenced the type of restoration that is conducted. 
  1. Geopolitical turmoil forces change: Wars greatly contributed to forest degradation through direct destruction and overexploitation, but they also prompted large-scale afforestation campaigns to address timber shortages. These initiatives shaped today’s forests, showing how crises can simultaneously hinder and drive restoration progress. 
  1. Forest ownership and governance: Centralized forest governance often enabled large-scale restoration success, while fragmented ownership often slowed down restoration progress. Innovative governance mechanisms are needed to address the issue of fragmentation, where many small landowners hold land rights.
  1. Funding mechanisms: Lack of funding has been a longstanding obstacle, but there are examples of strong and stable funding mechanisms throughout history.  Although EU funding has been instrumental in shifting the types of restoration implemented, there is an urgent need for innovative funding sources (e.g., private) and mechanisms that are long-term and resilient to political and market fluctuations. 
  1. Market fluctuations: Shifts in demand for products like timber and fuelwood significantly shaped restoration strategies. Future efforts should integrate marketable benefits from different ecosystem services to sustain landowner engagement and secure lasting outcomes. 
  1. The role of sociodemographics and social values: Rural abandonment tends to reduce land-use conflicts but can lead to new challenges like unmanaged forests. Increasing environmental awareness and recreational demands from society have diversified restoration objectives. These findings underscore the need for active rural engagement and public education to balance priorities. 
  1. Policies as guiding forces: Strict yet balanced national policies that integrate ecological protection with socioeconomic benefits, alongside ambitious international policies and the creation of institutions specialized in restoration, have been pivotal in driving progress and inspiring coordinated restoration strategies. 
  1. Converging drivers accelerate change: Restoration succeeds when environmental, social, economic and political factors align. Historical examples show that isolated drivers rarely catalyze change; a multidimensional approach is essential to create transformative impacts. 
  1. Conflicts hinder progress: Competing objectives, such as agriculture versus forest land uses, or timber production versus conservation, remain major obstacles. Addressing conflicts—both among stakeholders and policies—requires a holistic landscape approach that simultaneously addresses many challenges that society faces. 
  1. Short-term fixes, long-term risks: Lastly, the historical accounts demonstrate that restoration efforts with a short-term vision often create future vulnerabilities. Long-term thinking that acknowledges the interconnectedness of our systems is crucial for successful forest restoration that benefits ecosystems and communities.  
Infographic by Shanqing Gao, EFI

Embracing the Past and Building a Better Future

From this study, we learned the importance of blending historical insights with contemporary strategies to guide more sustainable and impactful forest restoration. By learning from past successes and failures, policymakers and practitioners can avoid repeating mistakes and leverage effective solutions. We hope the lessons uncovered in this research will be crucial for implementing the new Nature Restoration Law to ensure its ambitions are translated into large-scale, real-world impact across Europe. 

Reference: Erdozain, M., Alberdi, I., Aszalos, R. et al. The Evolution of Forest Restoration in Europe: A Synthesis for a Step Forward Based on National Expert Knowledge. Curr. For. Rep. 11, 4 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/40725-024-00235-3

Read the full study here.

Turning Over a New Leaf: Replanting Quercus Robur with Lessons Learned

superbadmin on April 8, 2024

Within the SUPERB project, a noteworthy advancement was achieved last week in the Serbian part of the Cross-border demo area, marking a pivotal moment in the ongoing replanting efforts in Biosphere Reserve Gornje Podunavlje. This latest phase of our activities within the SUPERB project not only highlights the adaptability and resilience of the conservation efforts in Gornje Podunavlje but also emphasizes the importance of learning from past challenges. By acknowledging the impact of severe drought conditions on the initial attempt to establish Quercus robur stand, the current approach is adapted to ensure greater success. Public Enterprise Vojvodinašume is currently undertaking a remarkable endeavour, with over 50 workers diligently planting 94,000 Quercus robur seedlings at the restoration site. As part of their efforts for success, new fencing is being installed to protect against negative impacts from wildlife, while each seedling is being treated with hydrogel to prevent the loss of soil moisture, showcasing the ongoing commitment to successful restoration. Through ongoing practices, we continue to evolve, striving to achieve our overarching goal of enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem resilience in this ecologically significant region.

From vision to action – 2nd stakeholder workshop for forest restoration in Croatia and Serbia

Shan Gao on February 19, 2024

On January 26, 2024, a group of 22 stakeholders from Croatia and Serbia gathered in the city of Osijek, Croatia, to participate in the second stakeholder workshop. The event, jointly organized by the Croatian Forest Research Institute and the Institute of Lowland Forestry and Environment, brought together a diverse array of forestry experts and stakeholders from both countries. The workshop featured prominent representatives from government bodies and agencies, research and academic institutions, public enterprises, professional associations, as well as other stakeholders, including regional and local associations, societies, and entities in the fields of nature conservation and hunting.

The second stakeholder workshop aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the conducted and planned project activities, with a spotlight on activities carried out in the demonstration area. The workshop was structured around three informative sessions: (1) Information about the SUPERB project, including project objectives and activities, (2) Activities in the demonstration area, and (3) Planned steps and further stakeholder involvement.

Stakeholders expressed a keen interest in exploring the details of conducted activities and the engaging exchange of ideas underscored the stakeholders’ approval and appreciation for the restoration activities that have been undertaken. 

Following the indoor activities, all interested participants had the opportunity to visit the Croatian part of the demonstration area near the city of Osijek. The participants were taken to one of the chronosequence plots where the replacement of non native poplar plantation with pedunculate oak was successfully carried out on 50 hectares. This session not only provided valuable insights for workshop participants who are not directly involved in forestry but it also allowed participants to better understand the essential practices and activities crucial for the successful implementation of forest restoration. Furthermore, the inclusion of colleagues from the Republic of Serbia in this field visit further enhanced the interaction between workshop participants, contributing to a shared understanding of forestry practices at the regional level.

Field trip in the Croatian part of the demo area near Osijek

It’s also noteworthy that the workshop received notable media coverage, attracting attention from the „Croatian Radiotelevision“ and local radio stations, further amplifying the dissemination of information about the event and the SUPERB project.

Overall, it is safe to say that the second stakeholder workshop was undoubtedly a success thanks to the active participation, insightful discussions, and positive feedback from attendees. This affirmation reassures us that we are on the right path with our approach, aiming at fostering confidence in the effectiveness of our initiatives.

Meet the managers of the SUPERB demos in Spain, Sweden and Croatia!

superbadmin on September 5, 2022

Promoting peaceful coexistence between bears and humans, reconciling indigenous and industrial forest uses, and creating climate-change adapted forests in a former war zone: these are some of the challenges faced by our SUPERB demo areas in Spain, Sweden and Croatia.

At the SUPERB Governance Innovation Lab, the managers of the SUPERB demos in these three locations introduced their approaches to forest restoration and worked on solutions to their governance challenges together with a panel of experts.

Do you want to find out more about their work and meet the faces behind our restoration case studies? Then watch the video interviews below, recorded at the Lab:

Interview with Judit Torres (CESEFOR), SUPERB demo area in Spain

Interview with Anders Esselin (Man & Nature), SUPERB demo area in Sweden

Interview with Martina Đodan (Croatian Forest Research Institute), SUPERB demo area in Croatia/Serbia