Deforestation and international agreements, nature restoration and poplar cultivation, ecosystem services and carbon farming: we give value to forest resources and woody crops

The sustainable management of forest resources is crucial for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. Forests and wood-based arboriculture play a fundamental environmental role by protecting soil, regulating the water cycle, and sequestering carbon. Forest owners, as custodians of forests and woodlands, are key actors in maintaining these often-complex balances, navigating between the European regulatory framework—such as the Nature Restoration Regulation (EU Reg. 2019/2115) and the Regulation on Deforestation and Forest Degradation (EU Reg. 2023/1115)—and the specific characteristics of national contexts. Nature restoration tools and sustainable management practices enhance forest resources and contribute to the provision of essential ecosystem services. International trade agreements, such as the one with Mercosur, require local supply chains to align with global environmental standards, without penalising national forest management systems. Finally, carbon farming in the forestry sector enables the quantification and incentivisation of carbon sequestration derived from poplar cultivation and reforestation.

The integration of European policies, local practices, and the commitment of forest owners represents an effective model to combine sustainability, productivity, and environmental conservation.

Session Chairs

Silvia Piconcelli, Confagricoltura
Marco Marchetti, President of Fondazione Alberitalia

Program

10.00 Welcome remarks and moderation 
Enrico Allasia, President, FNP Forest Resources, Confagricoltura
Marco Marchetti, President of Fondazione Alberitalia

Introductory Speech
Maurizio Martina, Deputy Director-General of FAO – Outlook on the World’s Forests

Session I – Deforestation and International Agreements
Introduction 
Alessandra Stefani, President, Cluster Italia Foresta Legno

Representive of Ministry of Agriculture – DIFOR
Representive of Palm Oil
Representive of UNICEB
Representive of Federlegno

Session II – Carbon Farming
Introduction
Riccardo Valentini, University of Tuscia

Representive of European Commission
Raoul Romano, Director of Forests and Wood Centre (CREA)

Session III – Nature Restoration
Introduction 
Davide Pettenella, University of Padua

API – Fabio Boccalari, President, Poplar Growers Association
Representative of Legambiente / WWF
Case studies and Call for Papers

12.00 Closure
Alessandra Stefani, President of Cluster Italia Foresta Legno
Marco Marchetti, President of Fondazione Alberitalia