The European Parliament has adopted a deal on new rules that aim to ensure the supply of high-quality forest reproductive material.

The approved text seeks to improve the quality, availability and traceability of forest reproductive material as well as remove obstacles to its trade within the EU internal market.

Forest reproductive material includes seeds, parts of trees (such as stem or leaf cuttings, explants, buds, layers, roots and scions) and planting stock (plants raised from seeds or parts of plants).

Forest reproductive material

According to the agreement, member states may seek technical support from the European Commission when drawing up voluntary contingency plans to ensure the sufficient supply of forest reproductive material to reforest areas affected by extreme weather events or disasters.

Forest reproductive material will have to be traceable from collection to marketing.

New scientific and technical developments such as digital traceability as well as innovative production processes will be enabled and implemented.

Common modern standards

The regulation is to provide higher standards with rules that will "ensure that only approved and certified seeds and plants will be placed on the EU market, while at the same time strengthening their traceability".

Member states will now have to cooperate to "ensure a supply of forest reproductive material for cross-border affected areas".

Producers of forest reproductive material will have to notify national authorities of their intention to harvest forest reproductive material prior to the beginning of the harvesting, to allow for the organisation of controls.

More high-quality material

European Parliament rapporteur Herbert Dorfmann said Europe needs a "functioning European single market for forest reproductive material".

"This is the only way we can meet the growing demand for high-quality young trees, which are needed to meet the increasing demand caused by climate change and the growing bioeconomy," he said.

"The agreement improves the quality of our young trees, as it creates the possibility to bring more high-quality reproductive material onto the single market, while at the same time ensuring the burden on national administrations and control authorities is as light as possible."

The date of application of the regulation has been set to five years, to provide time for the necessary adaptation of national practice and to implement the new control system.