Sustainable forestry in Greece through forest registration, protection and conservation measures

Question for written answer  E-000598/2021/rev.1
to the Commission
Rule 138
Emmanouil Fragkos (ECR)

For the purposes of forest protection and sustainable forestry (e.g. deadwood management), data is needed on surface area, volume, expansion, mortality, quality and type of tree.

In fact, no proper forest inventory has ever been carried out in Greece — the last one was attempted in 1992 and did not cover all the parameters stipulated by the Food and Agriculture Organisation/UN Economic Commission for Europe.

The gradual shift in economic activity and the abandonment of sustainable forestry have been instrumental in the periodic accumulation of flammable materials and the environmentally devastating fires that frequently result, causing erosion, desertification, loss of biodiversity/habitats and deterioration of water quality.

In view of this:

Has the absence of sustainable management analysis data stood in the way of Greek participation in European sustainability, coordination and communication initiatives under the EU Forest Strategy and Action Plan?

Does the Commission have any evidence to suggest that sustainable forest management reduces the risk of forest fires? Is it possible for national strategies to incorporate sustainable residual biomass management for the purposes of bioenergy/bioeconomy applications?

Is the Commission aware of any effective forest registration and management tools available to the Greek authorities that are also suitable for use in difficult mountain terrain?