Wildfires, storms, and drought are tearing through European forests faster than they can grow back. Replanting them is not simply a matter of saplings and shovels: poorly matched or uncertified material can doom a reforestation effort before the trees take root. The European Parliament has adopted rules requiring every seed, cutting, and young tree sold across the EU to be certified and fully traceable, to make restoration efforts actually work.
Forest reproductive material will need to be traceable throughout the supply chain. The legislation also allows for digital traceability tools and new technologies to be deployed as methods and standards evolve.
The rules allow member states to request voluntary contingency plans from the European Commission. These would ensure enough certified planting material is available after severe weather or a natural disaster. When affected areas span more than one country, member states will be required to cooperate to secure suitable material.
Certified from the start
Producers must also notify national authorities before harvesting, giving inspectors time to put adequate controls in place. European Parliament rapporteur Herbert Dorfmann (EPP/ITA) said the new rules would help satisfy growing demand for quality young trees.
Europe needs a functioning European single market for forest reproductive material.
— Herbert Dorfmann, rapporteur, European Parliament (EPP/ITA)
“Europe needs a functioning European single market for forest reproductive material,” Mr Dorfmann said. He argued it was the only way to meet rising demand for quality trees, as climate change and the growing bioeconomy put pressure on Europe’s forests. He added that it would improve quality while keeping administration to a minimum.
The single market dimension matters too. Producers in one member state have long faced different certification requirements than those in another, creating barriers to trade and gaps in oversight. The legislation harmonises those standards across the bloc.
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A five-year runway
Member states have five years to bring their national systems in line with the new regulation. It replaces an older Council Directive on forest reproductive material, a framework the Commission first proposed updating in July 2023.
Forest reproductive material covers seeds, cuttings, buds, roots, and young saplings. Europe’s forests already span 160 million hectares, around 39 per cent of the EU’s land area, and have grown by more than five per cent over the past 30 years despite global deforestation.
No law will stop wildfires or droughts. But a forest replanted with the wrong trees fails twice: once to the disaster, and again to a recovery that never takes hold. Getting the material right is where restoration either begins or falls apart.
