1. Forest monitoring now and future challenges
26th meeting of
Working Group “Forestry Statistics”
13-14 February 2006
Pasi Rautio
European Commission
DG Environment
Unit B.3 Forests

2. Present monitoring Forest Focus Level I
Co-operation with UNECE ICP Forests
6000 plots on a 16x16km grid throughout Europe
annual crown condition assessment
2006 BioSoil demonstration project (soil condition and biodiversity)

3. Present monitoring Forest Focus Level II
~ 860 permanent intensive plots
multiple parameters measured:
Survey Frequency of assessments
Crown condition Annual
Soil condition Every 10 years
Needle chemistry Every 2 years
Deposition Continuous
Soil solution Continuous
Meteorology Continuous
- relative humidity
- soil temperature
- precipitation
Ground vegetation Every 5 years…

4. Future? Forest Focus programmes 2003-2004 and 2005-2006
FF regulation expires in the end of 2006
what comes after Forest Focus?

5. Future information needs at EU level
Climate change
impact, adaptation, mitigation & substitution
Biodiversity
protected forests, Natura 2000 etc.
Protective forest functions
soil, water and infrastructure
Forest fires
EFFIS

6. Potential data and information sources
Status, trends Remote sensing Forest inventories EFFIS
Forest condition Level I
Understanding and
cause-effect relationship Intensive monitoring on specific issues related to forest ecosystems (Forest condition Level II, R&D projects, EFFIS )
(eventually policy measures) (Rural development)

7. Examples of the MCPFE indicators that need to be monitored in future
Forest area
Growing stock
Age structure , diameter distribution
Increment/fellings
Deadwood
Protected forest area
Naturalness
Threatened forest species
Protective forest functions
Tree species composition (incl. introduced species)
Regeneration (genetic diversity)
Carbon stock
Forest damage (including defoliation, forest fires)
Forest landscape patterns
Deposition of air pollutants
Soil/water quality …. (35 quantitative indicators in total)

8. Official Journal of the European Union C 28/57 (3. 2
Official Journal of the European Union C 28/57 ( ): Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament — Reporting on the implementation of the EU Forestry Strategy’
Data are already being collected in the framework of international agreements, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), the Timber Committee of the Economic Commission for Europe, EUROSTAT and the MCPFE on forest biodiversity, forest resources, carbon sequestration, the carbon cycle and forest products and protective effects. When developing Community monitoring schemes it is important to draw on national, pan-European and global monitoring schemes that already exist or are in preparation, and to ensure protection of landowners' privacy with respect to data handling and publishing.

9. Targets for 2010 Forest Data Centre (JRC)
Policy and technical reports on:
Climate change and forests
Biological Diversity in forests
The role of forests in the protection of soil, water and infrastructure
Contribution to the Global Forest Resource Assessment 2010