FORSAID gathers its Committee of Stakeholders for second online meeting

In its efforts to establish a new framework for the early detection and monitoring of forest pests in Europe, FORSAID pursues and maintains strong ties with practitioners and experts on the ground. A testament to this is the project’s Committee of Stakeholders (CoS), a community currently comprising 25 members and 11 countries. At its core, it is a feedback mechanism meant to consolidate views on what technological innovations are needed for the management of pests in forestry and what shape those should take. In that sense, the CoS both reports on the wider sector’s needs and expectations and assesses the solutions under development within FORSAID. Ultimately, this is meant to ensure that the project’s outputs reflect environmental and economic realities alike as they are readied for mass deployment in the future.

April 2026 saw the second online meeting between members of the FORSAID consortium and the CoS. On the side of the former, partners from the University of Padua (UNIPD), the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) and the European Institute of Planted Forest (IEFC) were present. As for the Committee itself, representatives from the following institutions were in attendance:

• European Commission

• Italy’s Lombardy Region and Autonomous Province of Bolzano

• Stångby Plantskola

• Dalgas

• Switzerland’s Canton of Zürich

• National Centre for Forest Owners (CNPF)

• Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF)

• Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC)

• Julius Kühn-Institute

The following topics were at the centre of discussions between the CoS and FORSAID’s experts:

1. Approach adjustment in relation to the pine wood nematode: One of the target organisms of the project, this species was detected in France for the very first time in late 2025. In light of this, corresponding research activities in FORSAID have seen an emphasis on prioritised rapid detection and risk modelling. Upon being presented with this updated outlook, stakeholders inquired about the specificities of the foreseen early identification tools and their usage in the field.

2. Evaluation mechanism for FORSAID’s digital toolkit: The meeting also provided an opportunity for consortium members to share the development of a feedback form through which practitioners may comment on the quality and suitability of the project’s outputs. In this context, six critical dimensions were outlined as building blocks underpinning the format - accessibility, performance, cost, practical value, ethics and innovation. 

3. Forthcoming demonstration workshops: Last but not least, the CoS was made aware of three future on-site events that are set to deliver hands-on showcases of the technologies being developed by the project, specifically the Entomoscope and the automated smart traps for insects. The workshops will be convened in the months to come, targeting practitioners in Italy, France and Portugal respectively.

At the conclusion of the gathering, stakeholders expressed their appreciation for FORSAID’s continued investment in the online format, which is well-suited to the busy schedules and daily responsibilities often apparent in the forestry sector. More information on how such engagement activities shape the vision behind the project can be found on this page.