Reforest wastelands, abandoned lands and fire prone vegetation types

Europe is a continent that has a natural ecosystem which is largely forest. Our ancestors for various reasons, cut down up to 80 percent of this, making Europe mostly a continent of open landscapes in which crops are grown. In the 18th century some areas were reforested, especially the hills and mountains in order to harvest construction wood and wood for paper production. Part of these forests are too prone to fires with the warming climate and the better access people have to these forest, due to cars and increased tourism.
In addition a large amount of territories especially in southern Europe is abandoned due to the rural exode. These areas regrow with bushes, again very fire prone since regrowing to tall growing tree species is long since soils are degraded and areas are too dry to start spontaneous growth of natural climax vegetation. Also close to cities we find extensive areas often waiting for a new land use destination, which while waiting could be reforested, even temporarily. In most member states the tendency is to cut part of the fire prone forests and to invest in fire brigades, canadairs etc.

The European Union can create a fund that member states can use to reforest these areas with trees less prone to fire, for the southern lands that are abandoned. Land owners can be organised in cooperations that can ask funding through the fund. Specific tree types, depending on the land and landscape can be chosen to qualify for the fund. Another part of the fund can be used to reforest abandoned land close to cities. If these trees are cut, part of the fund is to be repaid to the Commission, a part that coincides with for example 70 percent of the price of the grown wood. Communes could apply for this fund. The new forests allow for carbon sequestration, and as such the fund can be paid by CO2 taxation. In addition the forest will purify our air, cool down areas during heatwaves and lessen the impacts of droughts and floods. In contiguous areas they will provide shelter for the rare wildlife on our now very human centric continent. And thus help to restore our relation to other species than just ourselves.
In brief the fund:
1. Promotes the organisation of rural areas by making cooperations of landowners who can apply for a reforestation fund for specific slow growing, less fire prone tree types.
2. Allow metropolitan communes to afforest areas waiting for a new destination to be forested while waiting.
3. Promotes forest owning landowners to invest in a more natural tree vegetation, being less productive but allowing for the gradual growth of a more resilient ecosystem,
The fund will be filled by CO2 taxation and by owners who profited from the fund but decide after a while to cut down the trees. In addition the fund can be filled by Carbon sequestration programmes for areas that are destined for permanent reforestation.