• For the first time the harmonized forest availability for wood supply is quantified for Europe. • Economic viability is the main restriction to availability of forests for wood supply. • The harmonized forests available for wood supply (FAWS) represent 75–95 % of forest area and biomass. • The reference definition of FAWS is suitable for international reporting.

For national and international reporting on forest available for wood supply (FAWS), harmonized data are needed. This information is required as forests provide goods for various sectors like the timber industry or the bioenergy sector. The effect of applying different thresholds to the three restriction classes (environmental, social and economic restriction) within the proposed reference definition for FAWS was evaluated. We applied the reference definition for FAWS to national data sets provided by five European National Forest Inventories using harmonized thresholds. The effects on FAWS area and growing stock were evaluated for each restriction and threshold. All countries within this study could report on protected areas. Social restrictions were not applied in any country, data on other restrictions are available but definitions vary. The application of common thresholds for restrictions proved difficult as effects vary between countries. The economic restriction is the most challenging to assess as many countries do not have corresponding data for direct calculation of, e.g., harvesting costs. Using proxies for harvesting costs was difficult, as common thresholds may not be applied in different countries. For standardized reporting, a FAWS definition should be developed that utilizes existing, harmonized indicators to describe restrictions.

Windthrow and the associated damage to forests have significant economic, social, and ecological impacts including increased harvesting costs and lost revenue, safety concerns for forest workers, and restriction on public access. The impacts of wind damage also directly affect greenhouse gas profiles associated with forest lands. This paper describes a two-stage forest monitoring approach that was devised for the purposes of assessing the impacts of the storms of winter 2024/2025, which included Storms Darragh and Éowyn, on the Irish forest estate. A range of Earth Observation (EO) datasets were used to assess the extent of windthrow damage within both public and private forests across the Republic of Ireland. The total area damaged was ca. 27,400 ha out of a total forest area of ca. 800,000 ha mainly affecting the north-west of the country. Based on scenarios developed to analyse the level of harvest in conjunction with the salvage operations, it was found that there was a decline in the sink capacity of the forest estate over the period 2025–2030. However, beyond this period, the sink capacity is restored as a result of the regeneration of the forests.