Mapping the research of Forest ecosystem Services in Europe: A review

Research on forest ecosystems is abundant, yet the societal needs for forest ecosystem services (FES) remains less examined. Understanding these needs—especially across different societal actors—offers a promising path to ease pressure on the provision of forest ecosystem services and navigate the goal conflicts of forest policy under the EU Green Deal. Using a semi-systematic literature review, we categorize the existing research on the need for forest ecosystem services within distinct European forestry paradigms and investigate how well the literature covers each service and actor type. In 107 assessed articles, we find that cultural ecosystem services are researched most prominently while provisioning services are addressed the least. While the literature in our corpus is inclined towards recreationists and the public, crucial actors such as forest owners or forest managers are examined seldomly. Furthermore, we find several articles that assess the synergies and conflicts fostered by different management approaches. We connect this finding to a qualitative mismatch between the need for forest ecosystem services described in the literature and the provision of these services that is shaped by different ideas on sustainable forest management. By highlighting gaps and shortcomings in the literature we set the stage for future research on the need for forest ecosystem services. • Most of the research on the need for FES in Europe considers cultural services. • Need for wood products is rarely addressed in key industries. • Research focuses on public, while forest owners and managers remain underexplored. • Research gaps can limit governance innovation in sustainable forest management.