Trees4Adapt project launched to address risks from climate change and biodiversity loss through tree-based solutions
Climate change and biodiversity loss are two of the most pressing challenges of our time. These crises are deeply interconnected, creating complex risks that threaten ecosystems, human wellbeing, and the economy. Yet, current decision-making and land-use planning often fail to account for this interconnectedness, limiting the effectiveness of adaptation strategies.
To address this gap, the European Union has launched Trees4Adapt – Addressing complex risks from climate change and biodiversity loss across systems and scales: Leveraging the potential of tree-based solutions for adaptation in Europe, a Horizon Europe project under the Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change. Starting in October 2025 and running for four years, Trees4Adapt brings together 12 partners from across Europe, coordinated by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), with a budget of €4 million.
“Mitigation will not help us fast enough - the time is for adaptation,” said Prisca Haemers, Policy Officer for the Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, during the project’s kick-off meeting. “Projects like Trees4Adapt are essential to accelerate Europe’s resilience and must work together through the Mission networks to maximise impact.”
The project aims to improve understanding of risks from climate change and biodiversity loss and support decision-makers in designing and implementing nature-based solutions involving trees (“tree-based solutions”) that build resilience, conserve and restore biodiversity, and avoid maladaptation.
"Trees4Adapt is helping Europe to be more prepared for climate change and to conserve and restore biodiversity. We do this by developing understandings of "tree-based solutions", which are nature-based solutions involving trees. We are excited to work with our brilliant partners and to coordinate the project from Luke, which is a hub of excellence in European sustainability research", says project co-coordinator Michael Pashkevich, Research Scientist from Luke.
Research-based solutions shaped by local community needs
Trees4Adapt combines cutting-edge research with practical solutions. It uses long-standing European research platforms to study how different tree species and mixtures deliver multiple benefits, including buffering microclimates and strengthening ecosystems. The project will also assess the economic viability of tree-based solutions through bioeconomic and spatial modelling, creating scenarios that show how different decisions could shape future landscapes.
To ground this work in specific local contexts, Trees4Adapt draws on three case studies. In Finland’s boreal forests, researchers are building on unique forest diversity experiments to see how increasing tree species and genetic diversity can improve resilience in planted forest landscapes. In Germany, the focus is on agroforestry networks and how integrating trees into farming systems can boost biodiversity and support farmers. In Portugal, the case study examines Mediterranean landscapes recovering from wildfires, investigating whether greater tree diversity can slow fire spread and accelerate recovery.
From the start, Trees4Adapt works hand-in-hand with local stakeholders and EU-level actors to co-create solutions that are practical and ready for real-world application.
“People and ecosystems all over Europe are already experiencing the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. We want to provide solutions to these challenges that are directly informed by the needs of local communities and can truly contribute to climate change adaptation and biodiversity protection. As an early career coordinator, it is an honor to work on this important topic with a diverse group of experienced researchers from across Europe as well as our competent and highly motivated team in Luke”, concludes project co-coordinator Katharina Albrich, researcher from Luke.
