They are home to plants and animals and a source not only of oxygen but also of jobs: the Parliament wants Europe to manage her forests in a smart way.

Europe's forests: seeing the wood for the trees

Forests are indispensable to life on earth.

They capture and absorb  harmful CO2 emissions

and release, in their place, vital oxygen.

Forests cover 38% of the European Union’s  territory, stretching for 160 million hectares.

Europe’s forests are  the lungs of our continent.

And contrary to what one might expect,  they're expanding year after year.

We’re a stone’s throw away from Brussels  at the Arboretum of Tervuren.

This royal estate of 120 hectares  has been planted with many exotic trees

like this sequoia, Sequoia Dendrum  Gigantea, from California in the USA.

The European Union doesn't have  a common forestry policy.

Member States are in charge  of managing their own forests.

However, the EU does have a role to play in  matters such as environmental protection.

On 28 April 2015, the Parliament adopted  a new strategy on forests and forestry.

Coordination of EU countries  through the exchange of best practice,

better protection of forests  and support for young forest owners

feature on the list of MEPs’  demands to European leaders.

We’re now in the Sonian Forest  beside the Arboretum.

This is a small part of  the EU’s Natura 2000 programme

to protect Europe's natural habitats  and biodiversity.

Natura 2000 is a set of 26,000  protected sites in Europe.

Through this network  the EU obliges the Member States

to protect threatened habitats,  animals and plant species.

Without entirely ruling out  economic activities,

provided they are compatible  with the conservation of flora and fauna.

100 kilometres to the south,  here too the EU is active.

But this is a working forest and  the challenge is to combine its protection

with the exploitation of its natural resources.

The Common Agricultural Policy  is a source of funding for forests.

During the period 2007-2013 the EU’s  investments totalled 5.4 billion euros.

The development of  the forestry sector is a priority.

The EU invests in the marketing of  forestry products, in forestry techniques

and in the creation of woodlands,  but also in the prevention of forest fires

and in repairing the damage  caused by them.

The Parliament recognizes that the forestry  sector employs three million Europeans.

To ensure that those jobs continue,  it's necessary to have some sort of pooling,

through instruments like the European  Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Good quality wood is key to constructing  environmentally friendly houses.

This is a growth market  for the wood industry.

François, could you explain to me  what the state of your industry is and why.

The wood industry in Wallonia  consists of some 18,500 jobs,

that is 13,000 wage earners  and some 5,500 independents.

and the forest surface in Wallonia  is around 550,000 hectares.

One of the biggest employers in the  wood sector is the construction sector.

It's a sector that is  in some difficulty at the moment

because wood is a material which is  able to meet a number of challenges,

The environmental aspect  is something to consider, too.

In Europe, the main source of  renewable energy is biomass.

And biomass is partly  timber from our forests.

Sustainable forest management  has a positive effect on biodiversity,

mitigating the effects of climate change

and reducing the risk of forest fires  and insect damage.

The European Parliament has  made its mark on the EU’s forestry policy.

Its Members have been active  in issues like biomass, wood for fuel

and a Common Agricultural Policy  for forests.

These images of forests cover  the period from 1900 until today.

We can see clearly that  the forests are regaining ground.

Yet another reason  for conducting a smart policy.