27 Jul What Is Sustainable Forest Management (SFM)?
What Is Sustainable Forest Management (SFM)?
Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) is the core principle behind modern forestry in Europe. It’s about managing forests in a way that meets our needs today — for timber, carbon storage, biodiversity, and recreation — without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
It’s not a vague idea. In Europe, it’s defined by six clear criteria that are used across policy, certification systems, and national forest programmes — including here in Ireland.
The definition and framework were agreed by all European Forest Ministers in 1993, at the Helsinki Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe and is known as Helsinki Resolution H1.
🟩 The Official Definition
“Sustainable Forest Management means the stewardship and use of forests and forest lands in a way, and at a rate, that maintains their biodiversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, vitality and their potential to fulfill, now and in the future, relevant ecological, economic and social functions, at local, national, and global levels, and that does not cause damage to other ecosystems.”
— Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (Helsinki, 1993)
That’s a big sentence — but it covers everything from timber to water protection to social value.
To make it more practical, European countries later agreed on six criteria to define what sustainable forest management actually looks like on the ground.
🔢 The Six Pan-European Criteria for Sustainable Forest Management
These criteria are used in forestry policy, research, and certification systems across Europe. They help assess whether a forest — or a forest policy — is truly sustainable.
🔹 1. Forest Resources and Carbon Storage
- Maintain or increase forest area
- Sustain growing stock and timber volume
- Protect forests’ ability to absorb carbon and help regulate climate
🔹 2. Forest Health and Vitality
- Monitor and reduce damage from wind, pests, fire, and disease
- Support long-term soil and water quality
- Increase resilience to climate change
🔹 3. Productive Functions of Forests
- Sustain timber and other forest products
- Ensure harvesting levels are within regeneration capacity
- Support quality wood production and local markets
🔹 4. Biological Diversity in Forest Ecosystems
- Conserve tree species diversity and habitat types
- Retain deadwood, old trees, and structural diversity
- Protect rare or ecologically important forest areas
🔹 5. Protective Functions of Forests
- Maintain forests that protect soil, water, and infrastructure
- Prevent erosion, flooding, and landslides through forest cover
- Plan afforestation and road building with care
🔹 6. Socio-Economic Functions
- Support rural jobs and livelihoods
- Respect land ownership and access rights
- Encourage recreation, education, and cultural value
- Promote public participation and transparency
How This Applies in Ireland
Ireland’s forests are unique in many ways:
- Most are small, private, and relatively new
- Grant systems and state-led planting targets shape how they are managed
- Clearfelling is common due to land types, species choice, and economic structure
Not every forest in Ireland can meet all six criteria right now — and not every landowner is able to. But understanding these principles gives us something to aim for. Even small changes — like thoughtful harvesting, species choice, or habitat retention — can move a forest in the right direction.
🧭 Where Ecoplan Stands
At Ecoplan, we support the principles of Sustainable Forestry Management and Ecoforestry. We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions, and we don’t insist on a perfect system where it doesn’t make sense. You can read about our E.U. level success with The Birr Castle Bee Project.
Sometimes sustainable forestry means helping a landowner transition toward continuous cover. Sometimes it just means doing a clearfell well, and planning a better future forest. Either way, the goal is the same: to manage forests with care, intelligence, and future generations in mind.
Explore how Ecoplan supports sustainable forestry in native woodland estabishment and creation, native woodland conservation, continuous cover forestry (CCF), and our management,
Or just get in touch — Contact Ecoplan Forestry
Sustainable Forest Management (SFM)