Forest disturbances in Europe have increased significantly over the 20th century, driven mainly by climate change. This trend is expected to continue, with further increases in damage from wind, bark beetles, and wildfires. By 2030, the annual damage is projected to increase by 0.91 million cubic meters of timber. These disturbances can offset the carbon storage benefits of forest management strategies, reducing Europe's potential carbon storage by 503.4 Tg C between 2021 and 2030. The study highlights the significant feedback effects of changing disturbance regimes on the carbon cycle, emphasizing the need for forest policies to focus on disturbance risk and resilience. Natural disturbances, such as wildfires, insect outbreaks, and strong winds, are key drivers of forest dynamics and ecosystem diversity. Recent decades have seen increased frequency and severity of these disturbances, particularly in Europe. Climate change is expected to further intensify these disturbances, with bark beetles expanding into new areas and wildfires becoming more frequent. These changes pose a major risk to Europe's climate change mitigation efforts, as they could counteract efforts to increase carbon storage in forests. The study used a combination of disturbance observations, scenario simulations, and statistical modeling to project disturbance damage from 1971 to 2030. The results show that disturbance damage has increased significantly, with wind, bark beetle, and fire damage rising by 229.4%, 763.7%, and 313.9% respectively compared to 1971-1980. These increases are projected to continue under current management practices, with the annual disturbance damage expected to rise to 0.91 million cubic meters by 2030. Alternative management strategies, such as carbon management and biodiversity conservation, can increase forest carbon storage but may also alter forest susceptibility to disturbances. The study found that these strategies can reduce the net carbon gain from management, as increased disturbance damage offsets the benefits of improved management practices. The results indicate that changing disturbance regimes have the potential to undermine desired management effects in European forests. The study also highlights the need for more process-oriented analyses to better understand the future trajectories of disturbance regimes in Europe. The findings are consistent with previous studies on disturbance agents and events in Europe, and the interactions between management strategies and disturbance impacts on carbon stocks are well supported by theory and previous assessments. The study underscores the importance of considering disturbance risk and resilience in future forest policy and management to sustain ecosystem functions and services.Forest disturbances in Europe have increased significantly over the 20th century, driven mainly by climate change. This trend is expected to continue, with further increases in damage from wind, bark beetles, and wildfires. By 2030, the annual damage is projected to increase by 0.91 million cubic meters of timber. These disturbances can offset the carbon storage benefits of forest management strategies, reducing Europe's potential carbon storage by 503.4 Tg C between 2021 and 2030. The study highlights the significant feedback effects of changing disturbance regimes on the carbon cycle, emphasizing the need for forest policies to focus on disturbance risk and resilience. Natural disturbances, such as wildfires, insect outbreaks, and strong winds, are key drivers of forest dynamics and ecosystem diversity. Recent decades have seen increased frequency and severity of these disturbances, particularly in Europe. Climate change is expected to further intensify these disturbances, with bark beetles expanding into new areas and wildfires becoming more frequent. These changes pose a major risk to Europe's climate change mitigation efforts, as they could counteract efforts to increase carbon storage in forests. The study used a combination of disturbance observations, scenario simulations, and statistical modeling to project disturbance damage from 1971 to 2030. The results show that disturbance damage has increased significantly, with wind, bark beetle, and fire damage rising by 229.4%, 763.7%, and 313.9% respectively compared to 1971-1980. These increases are projected to continue under current management practices, with the annual disturbance damage expected to rise to 0.91 million cubic meters by 2030. Alternative management strategies, such as carbon management and biodiversity conservation, can increase forest carbon storage but may also alter forest susceptibility to disturbances. The study found that these strategies can reduce the net carbon gain from management, as increased disturbance damage offsets the benefits of improved management practices. The results indicate that changing disturbance regimes have the potential to undermine desired management effects in European forests. The study also highlights the need for more process-oriented analyses to better understand the future trajectories of disturbance regimes in Europe. The findings are consistent with previous studies on disturbance agents and events in Europe, and the interactions between management strategies and disturbance impacts on carbon stocks are well supported by theory and previous assessments. The study underscores the importance of considering disturbance risk and resilience in future forest policy and management to sustain ecosystem functions and services.