Adapting to climate change is both a necessity and an opportunity: Luc Frieden and Serge Wilmes visit the FORLUX project
On 20 October 2025, Prime Minister Luc Frieden and the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, Serge Wilmes, visited the «FORLUX - Health, Adaptation and Resilience of Luxembourg City Forests» project on the «Bambësch» research site. The visit was part of Luxembourg's commitment to strengthening its resilience to the effects of climate change.
As forests crumble under the combined effects of drought, disease and extreme weather events, the FORLUX project provides a scientific and strategic response to these pressures.
The first part of the visit, led by Bruno Alves, Government Attaché at the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, together with Michel Leytem, Director of the Nature and Forestry Administration, was devoted to the strategy for adapting to climate change and the state of the forest.
Then, in the heart of the Bambësch, the Prime Minister and the Minister for the Environment discovered the first structures set up to monitor the forest's ecology and hydrology. Researchers Christophe Hissler and Stanislaus Schymanski from the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology presented the instruments and methodology on which the project is based: sap flow sensors and weather stations, analyses of water stress and air quality, which feed a digital twin of the forest, capable of simulating its evolution according to different climate scenarios.
Prime Minister Luc Frieden welcomed this integrated approach:
In a constantly changing world, resilience is becoming an important foundation of our sovereignty. The FORLUX project represents a concrete step forward in our commitment to placing climate resilience at the heart of national priorities. By supporting such innovative initiatives, Luxembourg is demonstrating its determination to anticipate the challenges of tomorrow.
The link between the health of forests and the quality of drinking water resources is at the heart of the FORLUX project, which is a perfect illustration of how science, sustainable management and cooperation between public players can converge to protect our vital resources. As reservoirs of biodiversity and natural filters for air and water, our forests are invaluable allies in the fight against global warming and are real pillars of our well-being., said Minister Serge Wilmes.
Financed by the Climate and Energy Fund of the Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity and supported by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, the Administration de la Nature et des Forêts and the City of Luxembourg, this project will help to better understand, anticipate and support the development of forest ecosystems.
