EU Nature Directors’ meeting
The EU Nature Directors’ meeting, organised by the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, took place on 14-16 September 2026 at the Tulfarris Hotel & Golf Resort, Blessington, County Wicklow. It was hosted by Ireland’s National Parks and Wildlife Service and brought together Nature Directors from Member States, the European Commission and invited stakeholder organisations. CEPF Senior Policy Advisor Hélène Koch attended the open sessions on behalf of CEPF.
The meeting addressed the implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation, with a focus on national restoration plans. Under the Regulation, draft plans were due to the European Commission by 1 September 2026 and final plans by September 2027, with measures extending to 2050. Open sessions covered Ireland’s approach to its own plan, the delivery of nature restoration, and lessons from civil society assessments of restoration plans across the EU.
A workshop on fire management looked at wildfires and their threats to biodiversity. Following presentations of concrete wildfire management by the Irish presidency and the Spanish represntatives, the discission covered : the role of biodiversity in fire resilience, recovery after wildfire, and public awareness and community involvement in prevention
On 15 September, participants took part in field trips in County Wicklow. They could choose between South Wicklow woodland and farm visits; Wicklow Mountains National Park North and its reservoirs, with upland peatland and habitat restoration projects; and the Glendalough area of Wicklow Mountains National Park, covering trail management, woodland restoration and deer management.
EU Forest Directors’ meeting
The Informal Meeting of EU Forest Directors, organised by the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, took place on 20-22 October 2026 in Dublin and County Wicklow. CEPF was represented by CEPF Secretary General, Fanny Pomme Langue.
On 21 October, the meeting was held at Farmleigh House in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, with two thematic sessions. The morning session, “Supporting sustainable and resilient forest management”, looked at sustainable forest management practices across the EU, with a focus on forest genetic resources. It included presentations on Ireland’s forest estate and Forest Strategy, on Ireland’s experience of sustainable forest management, and on the European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN). Discussions were guided by two questions: how to accelerate the transition of forests towards climate resilience, and which EU policy tools could increase forest resilience.
The afternoon session, “Sustainable production of wood and wood products”, focused on meeting growing wood demand sustainably. It included presentations on Ireland’s wood resource and on the European Wood Policy Platform (WoodPoP), with live polling on the role of timber production in sustainable forest management and on emerging timber innovations. The day also included information from the incoming Lithuanian Presidency.
CEPF and Copa-Cogeca issued two joint statements on the two subjects put to discussion during the meeting: Supporting sustainable and resilient forest management and Sustainable production of wood and wood products
On 22 October, a field trip visited forest sites in County Dublin and County Wicklow: Coillte’s Ticknock Forest, the Powerscourt estate, and a privately owned 12-hectare native forest planted in 2024. Topics included managing forests near urban areas for multiple objectives, tree species selection, and creating new forests.
