Family forestry provides the main use for very large land surface areas in many European countries. Efficient and responsible use of this land is of considerable importance not only for the owners, but also for wider society.The target group of the project is family forest owners who make forest management decisions, based on advice. The project envisages to join forces and share experience from several countries in order to provide better understanding of what are the best ways and methods to channel the knowledge to those, who need it - the forest owners. The main objective of the project was to promote education of forest owners addressing forest management issues in order to improve the quality of forest management decisions, thus contributing to employment and economic development in rural areas of Europe.Project partners were five European forest-related organisations from four countries: 2 partners from Latvia, 1 from Estonia, Finland and Slovenia. Partners were of different size and scope, yet they share similar aims and target groups.The main project objective was achieved by different activities. Centre for Support of Forest Owner Cooperation oversaw the overall management and implementation of project activities by all project partner organisations.Each partner organisation set up a local project management team. Issues pertaining to project implementation and achievement of expected project results were discussed with partners during transnational project meetings.During the course of the project, several intellectual outputs were developed:1. Innovative online manual for forest owners about basic forest management; consisting of 4 parts – one for each country in its national language with a summary of manual in English. Each part of the manual is ca 200 pages. The developed manuals are printable and available in project partners's web sites.2. Interactive education materials pertaining to forest management planning. Education materials were created in national languages of the project participating organisations. Developed materials are publicly available at the web sites of the project partners. Developed intellectual outputs mentioned above are expected to assist forest owners in making better informed decisions in such areas as: forest inventory; when to use natural or artificial regeneration; what tree species to grow; selection of the right type of seedlings; what soil preparation to select, when it is needed; pre-commercial and commercial thinnings, different thinning strategies and suggested thinning models; pests and diseases in forestry; ways to make forestry more environmentally friendly; forest certification schemes; right time to harvest; regeneration; basic aspects of tree harvesting and transportation; safety in forestry; alternative uses of forest; role of forestry in carbon cycle and global environment. The above mentioned topics were developed during the project implementation. In order to exchange methods and best practices among participating organizations, four transnational joint staff training events took place.Various dissemination activities were organised, including local seminars in Estonia, Finland and Slovenia and a conference where produced intellectual results were presented to a broader audience. In addition,social media (Facebook) and partners’ web sites were used to inform about achievements in the project and to promote the developed manual and education materials.Better quality of forest management decisions by family forestry representatives are among desired impacts of the project, as family forestry plays an important role in rural employment, economic development and landscape formation. Better ways for family forest owners to learn necessary skills and ideas is of great importance. Better understanding of balancing economic, environmental and social aspects of forestry is also expected to be accomplished. Well managed forest stores much more carbon, it is also expected to provide for increased employment opportunities. Well managed forests, based in informed decisions by owners, can significantly contribute to the above mentioned aspects country-wide, as well as Europe-wide.

"The project ""Network of knowledge for efficient private forests - Net4Forest (2018 -2021)"" aimed to develop and promote the vocational education and training for private forest owners. Behind the delivery of the many services that forests provide are people - forest owners with a wide range of skills. The increasing multifunctional role of forests in the transition to a sustainable future requires more skills. Information on the marketing of forest products and valuation of forest services is widely available in the participating countries and in the EU, but there is a lack of information, guidelines and training materials suitable for practical application by forest owners. Therefore, the main long-term objective of Net4Forest was to develop training materials and practical tools for forest owners to increase income from their forests.Experts from 5 European countries (Slovenia, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden and Spain) participated in the Net4Forest project. They all have different knowledge and traditions in managing private forests. The exchange of knowledge, experience and examples of good practice between the project partners gave us the opportunity to develop innovative training and information materials.The main target groups involved in this project were: trainers (they served as a tool to reach the large groups of private forest owners), forest owners (they were directly involved through local seminars), different stakeholders from the forest sector (especially educational and training organizations) and young people just entering the forest sector (students, young practitioners were involved through the presentation of tools through different social media platforms).Developed intellectual outputs represent a collection of existing knowledge and newly developed tools. They were presented and discussed in different events. Organized events provided an opportunity to raise awareness among all the target groups involved and beyond. A knowledge network was established by PP through events for the training of staff (Training of trainers - LTT). A total of 4 pieces of training were organized with 112 participants. During the trainings, trainers had the opportunity to learn from each other, share experiences and existing knowledge. Local seminars in each country (we organized 11 seminars in total) were organized to test and promote the project results and outcomes among the project target groups. We directly involved 360 participants in these seminars. At the end of the project, an international final conference was organized where we presented the project results and outcomes with 83 participants. Throughout the project, we used promotional and informational materials to share useful knowledge and information with our target groups. We published 21 articles and more than 60 posts and news on different internet platforms and social media, together reaching more than 60,000 people."