Washington, D.C. — The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) today welcomed the European Commission’s proposal to delay entry into force of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by one additional year.
“Delaying implementation is the right decision,” said NAFO President & CEO Dave Tenny. “The Commission’s acknowledgment that the IT systems are not ready is important, but the systems are not the root of the problem. Rather, they are a symptom of an overburdensome regulation. We need broader simplification of the regulation itself, especially for countries that pose little to no risk for deforestation, to ensure the law works as intended.”
NAFO and its members support the EU’s goal of ending global deforestation. As a world leader in sustainable forestry, the United States is the ideal supplier of forest products to Europe. American private working forests are managed by families, companies, and Tribes that operate under a proven system of modern, sustainable forest management that ensures long-term forest health while providing renewable products and environmental benefits such as clean water, carbon storage, and wildlife habitat.
“The EU’s aims are right, but EUDR currently presents unnecessarily burdensome compliance challenges for all forest owners, and especially smaller forest owners,” added Tenny. “Simplifying reporting requirements for operators in low-risk countries will allow the EU to achieve its goals without creating unnecessary barriers for forest owners in countries like the United States, where forest cover has been stable for more than 60 years.”
A delay in implementation creates an opportunity to work together on solutions that make the EUDR effective and practical. Aligning the law’s forest degradation definitions with FAO guidance, removing geolocation reporting requirements for low-risk countries, and improving data tools like the EU Observatory maps would ensure the law supports its goals without placing unnecessary burdens on operators.
NAFO and its members remain committed to working with European partners to achieve effective, practical solutions that strengthen trade, reduce the risk of deforestation globally, and advance shared climate and sustainability objectives.
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The National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) is a U.S. advocacy organization committed to advancing policies that ensure our working forests provide clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat and jobs through sustainable practices and strong markets. NAFO members own and sustainably manage 43 million acres of private working forests – an area twice the size of Portugal. These forests are managed to provide a steady supply of timber. NAFO’s membership also includes state and national associations representing tens of millions of additional acres. Private working forests in the U.S. support 3.9 million jobs. Private working forests – which provide 90% of U.S. timber harvest for wood and fiber – also account for 80% of our total net forest carbon sequestration and nearly half of our forest carbon storage. Learn more at sixhalfdev.com/projects/nafo/.