Did you know that during drought periods tree trunks actually shrink? The change is invisible to the naked eye, but instruments called dendrometers can measure these variations continuously, almost like taking a tree’s heartbeat. Understanding signals this subtle is becoming essential for tracking forest health under climate stress.

This is just one of the insights you will encounter in the podcast: through conversations with leading researchers and practitioners, journalist Diego Giuliani explores how technology, data, and interdisciplinary research are transforming the way we observe, understand, and manage forest ecosystems.

Episodes

1. European Forests: How Are They Really Doing?
   This episode examines forests as carbon sinks and the pressures climate change places on them, with insights from Hans Verkerk (European Forest Institute), Giuliana Zanchi (Swedish Forest Agency), and Marco Patacca (Wageningen University & Research).
2.  How Do We Monitor Forests? The Technology Above the Trees
   A look at the tools reshaping forest monitoring: from satellites and drones to AI, ground sensors, and ecosystem modelling. Guests include Ruben Valbuena (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences), Arthur Gessler (Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL / TreeNet), Alba Viana Soto (Technical University of Munich), and Annemarie Eckes-Shephard (Lund University).
3.  Forests and Society
   Sustainable forest management is not only a scientific challenge but also a social one. Neal Hockney (Bangor University), Teresa Baiges (Government of Catalonia / Forest Ownership Centre), Aine Parlade (BOKU University Vienna), and Giovanni Santopuoli (University of Molise) discuss governance, stakeholder engagement, and creative approaches to climate-smart forestry.
4. The ForestWard Observatory
   The final episode introduces the project’s main outcome: a pan-European observatory designed to provide an integrated, near-real-time view of how climate change is affecting forests. Ruben Valbuena, Arthur Gessler, and Martin Herold (German Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz Centre) reflect on the need to turn knowledge into action.

Through these voices and stories, listeners discover the many dimensions of forests today, from cutting-edge monitoring to governance, from scientific discovery to the role citizens and stakeholders play in shaping resilient landscapes.

Listening closely is the first step toward understanding and protecting Europe’s forests: follow #TheSoundOfForests on social media to stay connected to this unfolding conversation.

The first episode of the FORWARDS podcast is already available on Spotify.

Featured image by Aine Parlade.