The 1st European Conference on Small Forest Holdings, held from 20 to 22 May 2025 at FAO Headquarters in Rome, brought together over 200 key stakeholders from across Europe — including public institutions, private organisations, NGOs, and many Forest Owners’ Associations.

The three-day programme featured keynote speeches, panel discussions, technical sessions, networking opportunities, and an exclusive field trip to the Castelporziano Estate, a natural reserve of the Italian State.

Key themes explored during the Conference included the current state of small forest holdings in Europe, legal and financial support mechanisms, forest owner engagement, forest-based value chains, and ecosystem service markets. These topics were addressed through in-depth discussions held across nine sessions, which also examined major challenges such as forest land abandonment, low profitability and fragmentation.

Particular attention was given to the role of forest owners’ organisations in strengthening local value chains and advancing Sustainable Forest Management across the EU. During the networking aperitif at Castelporziano, participants had the opportunity to meet representatives from 35 organisations selected in the first SMURF Cascade Funding Call and enjoy a pleasant moment of informal exchange.

We are confident that this Conference was an important step in building stronger cooperation within Europe’s forestry community and showed the key role small forest owners play in creating a sustainable and inclusive future for European forests. The SMURF project will keep working to support this goal.