What to Expect in 2025
2025 marks the second year of the project, and with a consortium meeting planned in May in Romania to visit LL East, here are some elements you can expect from the project in the coming year:
- More in-person stakeholder meetings across our LLs in Norway, Spain, Germany/Switzerland, and Romania;
- Workshops about business models
- Review of existing payment of ecosystem services schemes
- Availability of the first prototype of a visual photo interpreter
- International conference contributions by the academic consortium partners
We aim to help small forest owners implement multifunctional management and business models supported by digital and AI-driven solutions. The project promotes biodiversity and carbon farming through payment for ecosystem services schemes, engaging these smallholders in active forest management.
Small4Good’s approach involves understanding the motivations of small forest owners and developing business and management models through a multi-actor living lab approach across Europe, promoting rapid prototyping and implementing realistic, locally adapted pathways towards multifunctionality.
These would put small-forest owners on a pathway towards even more sustainable and multifunctional management as a basis for a fair and inclusive transition towards the bioeconomy.
Living Lab Report
Our Swiss partner WSL has published a report on the Living Labs, the objectives of each LL and what makes each different and unique. Here are the key learning outputs of the report:
Main Learning Outcomes
Understanding Small-Forest Owners:
- Many small forest owners lack forest management knowledge, financial incentives, and access to technical solutions.
- Motivations and barriers to adopting multifunctional management vary by region.
Business Models & PES (Payment for Ecosystem Services):
- Developing financial incentives for biodiversity, carbon storage, and ecosystem services is crucial.
- Local conditions dictate which business models are viable.
Technology & Innovation:
- AI-based digital tools (such as an AI assistant for small-forest owners) are being developed and tested.
- Automation and small-scale machinery (e.g., mini-crawlers) are explored for sustainable forestry.
Forest Management & Silviculture:
- The project evaluates alternative silvicultural practices to enhance biodiversity and climate resilience.
- Continuous cover forestry, thinning, and selective harvesting are being tested.
Stakeholder Engagement & Cooperation:
- Living Labs function as co-creation spaces where forest owners, policymakers, and researchers collaborate.
- Local workshops have identified key concerns, such as fragmented ownership and regulatory challenges.
Key Differences Between the LL
There are 4 LLs, located in North (Norway), East (Romania), Central (Germany/Switzerland), and South (Spain), Europe. Here are the key characteristics, challenges, and focus areas of each:

What Makes Each LL Unique
The project decided to engage in different LLs across the continent to showcase the wide range of contexts of small-scale forest owners. For this reason, every LL is unique:
- LL North: Focuses on alternative forestry techniques (continuous cover, small-scale mechanisation) to overcome high operational costs. Looking into possibilities to automate parts of the operations.
- LL East: Investigating how small owners can be better supported with PES schemes, reducing regulatory burdens, and enhancing cooperation.
- LL Central: A cross-border lab bridging Switzerland and Germany, with a focus on improving governance structures for climate resilience.
- LL South: Heavy focus on non-timber forest products (NTFPs), such as resin and pine nuts, and experimenting with AI-powered forestry management tools.
You can have access to the entire report by clicking on the many links below: