CO-FOREST Focus Group #3: Validating Educational Materials for Climate-Resilient European Forestry

On September 8, 2026, CO-FOREST consortium conducted its third focus group to validate proposed training courses addressing six priorities: climate resilience, wildfire prevention, pest/disease control, digital forestry, sustainable enterprise, and accessible education. Stakeholders across Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, and representatives of international professional community confirmed that developed training modules are essential and appropriately targeted, and that implementation must be localized and practical.

Key Findings by Country

• FINLAND: Professionals need stronger decision-making capacity under uncertainty, better knowledge transfer from research to practice, and enhanced collaboration/communication skills.

• BULGARIA: Governance, predictive planning, and digital monitoring are urgent. Training must be challenge-based, field-demonstrated, and short-format.

• ESTONIA: The gap is strategic and decision-oriented, not technological. Field demonstrations, peer learning, hands-on workshops strongly preferred.

• GREECE: Cross-sector coordination critical. Rejected webinars; demanded field training and scenario-based learning. Development of new business models.

• LITHUANIA: Knowledge fragmentation undermines effectiveness. Two needs: private owners require basic knowledge; state services need advanced expertise. Practitioners request short, practical courses.

Essential Competencies (90%+ consensus achieved)

• Climate adaptation & adaptive management: adjust strategies as conditions change; understand climate-biodiversity-economy-policy interactions 

• Decision-making under uncertainty: make sound decisions with incomplete information; adapt as new data emerges

• Biodiversity & climate integration: serve multiple goals simultaneously; balance ecological and economic objectives

• Stakeholder communication: engaged in diverse audiences; build trust; translate technical information

• Cross-sector collaboration: coordinate with civil protection, water, agriculture, energy, urban planning

Major skill gaps (70%+): Predictive planning/scenarios, digital literacy & data interpretation, systemic risk assessment, remote sensing/monitoring, economic analysis & business models.

The 55 experts who participated in the discussion came to a very consensed agreement on which effective training approaches work and which do not. For instance, hands-on field demonstrations, problem-oriented formats, peer learning communities, and multi-discplinary formats are almost solidly agreed on as efficient. While distance learning, generic webinars, and purely theoretical content were evaluated as outdated and not anymore functional.  Experts who participated in the discussion came to a very consensed agreement on which effective training approaches work and which do not. For instance, hands-on field demonstrations, problem-oriented formats, peer learning communities, and multi-discplinary formats are almost solidly agreed on as efficient. While distance learning, generic webinars, and purely theoretical content were evaluated as outdated and not anymore functional.  

Based on the separate discussion results the following country priorities in training strategies are outlined:  

• Bulgaria & Greece - climate adaptation + digital tools + wildfire prevention + economic viability.  

• Estonia & Lithuania - governance + knowledge integration + strategic decision-making.  

• Finland - continuous professional development + digital adaptation + aging workforce support. 

Critical Success Factors

For CO-FOREST to achieve desired impact developed training curriculum must be grounded in real practice using actual field cases and current management challenges rather than hypothetical scenarios. It should be truly accessible, with flexible scheduling, created in different languages, and with realistic time commitments that working professionals can meet.

The training works only when it builds collaborative communities. It must remain adaptive, responding to emerging challenges and regional contexts as conditions change. Finally, it must be integrated, addressing the interconnections between climate, biodiversity, economics, and governance rather than treating these as separate concerns.

Key Messages to Stakeholders

• Education institutions must develop broader, integrated professional profiles that combine climate adaptation, biodiversity knowledge, digital skills, and stakeholder engagement capacity. Interdisciplinary collaboration must be central to education, not peripheral.

• Practitioners need accessible and short courses enabling continuous mid-career skill development. Field-based, scenario-driven learning proves far more effective than theoretical approaches. Communities of practice offer powerful learning mechanisms that universities rarely facilitate.

• Policymakers must establish clear, predictable policy frameworks that enable long-term planning. Supporting the economic viability of forest work is essential for workforce sustainability - as Greek stakeholders emphasized, if careers in forestry cannot provide sustainable livelihoods, the workforce simply will not exist to protect forests.

Conclusions

This third focus group provided powerful validation of CO-FOREST's strategic approach. Stakeholders across six European countries confirmed that the five core competency areas are appropriate and urgently needed by forestry professionals. The gap in modern European forestry is not primarily technological or informational, but rather the capacity to interpret complex information in specific contexts, make sound decisions under uncertainty, communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders, and learn continuously throughout professional careers. Field-based, scenario-driven, practical training approaches prove far more effective than theoretical or purely online methods. Context-specific, country-tailored implementation is essential; one-size-fits-all approaches fail. Breaking down institutional silos and building communities of practice are critical success factors. Implementation requires localized country-specific content while maintaining core messages; multi-format delivery combining webinars, field demonstrations, scenario exercises, and peer learning; differentiated pathways for different professional audiences; integration of practical decision-support tools; and active community building for ongoing professional networks.

The future of European forests depends on professionals capable of strategic thinking, adaptive decision-making, and cross-sector collaboration. By combining rigorous evidence about skill needs with practical, community-centered learning approaches, the CO-FOREST project is positioned to make meaningful contributions to strengthening European forestry's capacity to address climate change, maintain biodiversity, and sustain rural communities. This focus group validates that trajectory and confirms readiness to move into implementation phase during 2027-2028.CO-FOREST