What practical tools and guidance does the European Forest Institute share?

The European Forest Institute (EFI) shares practical tools and guidance mainly through open-source software, methodological guidance and decision aids, and technical workshops whose outputs are published as news and reports. Current examples include the aiphoria Python package for dynamic wood material flow and carbon stock analysis, CircHive's biodiversity footprinting guidance and decision tree, and geospatial data guidance relevant to EUDR due diligence. These are aimed at analysts, organisations and decision-makers working on forests, sustainability and nature impact rather than at general readers.

Open-source analysis tools

EFI's "Recently published" section lists journal articles and reports, and some of these release usable tools alongside the research.

aiphoria: wood material flow and carbon stock analysis

The aiphoria package is described as an open-source Python package for dynamic material flow analysis (DMFA) of wood. In practice, that means you can model how wood moves through an economy over time and track the associated carbon stocks, rather than looking at a single snapshot.

• Input: time-series data on wood flows and stocks, structured for dynamic material flow analysis.
• Action: run the analysis in Python using the package's DMFA routines.
• Expected result: modelled wood flows and carbon stock estimates you can use in sustainability or climate analysis.

Because it is distributed as a Python package, expect to work in a Python environment. The page does not state installation steps, licence terms or support arrangements, so check the package's own documentation before relying on it in a formal assessment.

Biodiversity footprinting from CircHive

CircHive launched two resources to help organisations understand and measure their impact on nature: biodiversity footprinting guidance and a decision tree. The decision tree is the more immediately practical item — it helps you choose an appropriate measurement approach before doing the footprinting work.

A sensible use case: an organisation that wants to report on nature impact but does not know which method fits its scale and data. The decision tree narrows the options; the guidance then explains how to apply them. The page does not specify the methods covered or any sector restrictions, so review the guidance itself before committing to a reporting framework.

Guidance for regulatory and data work

Geospatial data for EUDR due diligence

A technical workshop in Barcelona explored how to make geospatial information more reliable, transparent and useful for decision-making, framed around EUDR (EU Deforestation Regulation) due diligence. The practical takeaway is that the quality and transparency of geospatial data — not just its availability — determine whether it can support due diligence decisions.

If you are preparing due diligence materials, treat this as a prompt to check how your geospatial sources were produced and whether their limitations are documented. The page reports the workshop's focus but does not publish a step-by-step procedure, so it is guidance on direction rather than a ready-made compliance checklist.

How EFI frames its guidance

EFI describes its approach as bringing science, policy, practice and society together to co-create solutions for forests, people and the planet. Its stated focus areas — resilient forests, sustainable economy, inclusive governance, co-created solutions, forests and people, and cities — indicate where new tools are likely to appear. The emphasis on co-creation means outputs tend to be developed with practitioners rather than issued as standalone standards.

Where to find new tools and guidance

The site's structure makes tracking straightforward:

The site references a "subscribe" option for staying informed; the page does not state terms, so check the sign-up page directly.

Choosing what fits your task

• Quantifying wood flows or carbon stocks: start with aiphoria, and confirm its documentation and licence suit your use.
• Measuring organisational impact on nature: use the CircHive decision tree to select an approach, then the accompanying guidance.
• Preparing EUDR-related due diligence: use the geospatial data discussion to audit the reliability and transparency of your data sources.
• Tracking new outputs: follow the news and publications sections, since tools are announced there rather than in a single tools directory.