Our technical expertise supporting European forests

The International Day of Forests is celebrated every year on March 21. Each year, a new theme is proposed to celebrate the forest in all its diversity. Diversity of composition and function, of course, but above all diversity of uses and benefits: ecological, economic and social. These 3 major functions are both complementary and interdependent, and none of them should be excluded to avoid disturbing the balance. The forest management practices implemented in Europe by Sylva Nova are fundamentally guided by this multifunctionality. But “multi” can also mean “conflict” ... In response to the diverse expectations of forest users, Sylva Nova is launching a new experiment this year: a forestry living lab for citizen co-construction around its Argenteau forest (Belgium) widely open to the public. With the expertise and methodological support of AgroParis-Tech, the forest's stakeholders will gather to compare the forest's challenges with the expectations of its users. The conclusions of this collective intelligence approach will enable Sylva Nova to adapt its forest management plan to keep this forest open to the public, while having considered their concerns and probably building their trust... It's by better knowing each other and by better understanding the challenges facing the forest that we can all contribute to its sustainability and benefit from its multifunctionality!

This collaboration with D'Ieteren is not new; we've been experimenting with it for 3 years. What is new today are the additional and complementary resources and expertise to fulfill our mission even more efficiently. Considering the growing scale of climate challenges, this investment will enable us to accelerate our actions and amplify the impact of our projects in favor of forest resilience and all the benefits they deliver. How ? By supporting some research and studies on sustainable forest management, by developing a reliable and quantifiable mechanism for measuring natural carbon capture, and by federating as many players as possible around this crucial cause. We are enthusiastic about this development, supported by a two-hundred-year-old experimented Belgian company with whom we share a long-term vision!

The 2024-2025 season is in the starting blocks at Sylva Nova: 30 years of experience to celebrate, two new forestry experts directly adopted, a new website to better describe who we are and what we do, in spring or autumn colours, new offices for better interaction, the first FSC® Ecosystem Services certifications to be obtained, European research projects in the pipeline... We're ready to move forward!

The meticulous restoration of neglected coniferous plots in our Argenteau pilot forest demonstrates that the use of horses is not at all a nostalgic or folkloric idea but, in combination with judiciously calibrated technical resources, constitutes a solution for the future facing certain challenges. Thank you to our partner D'Ieteren for helping us to bring such projects to fruition.