1. Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) Thematic Pilot 3 on forest
José I. Barredo* (EC – Joint Research Centre)
Henrique Pereira & Cristina Pedroso (Lisbon University)
Jan Bengtsson (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)
MAES Working Group meeting, DG-ENV - 26 April 2013

2. Thematic Pilot 3 on forest
Scope of the pilot:
The essential task of the pilot is to identify available knowledge that can be used to map forest ecosystems and assess their condition and the services they provide.
 Common framework document

3. Developments since January 2013
• Teleconference with co-leaders and discussion of first steps, list of tasks, work approach  done:
• Table 1 of common framework for EU (pan-European) forest ecosystems (in preparation):
Resulting EU table to be discussed and agreed (co-leaders + other participants)
Collecting information from pilot participants (MS +)  Table 1 of common framework (to be done)
MS could focus on a few forest ecosystem services (FES) in detail instead of covering many FES with poor detail (to be done)

4. Developments since January 2013
• COM and EEA partners contacted and teleconference done ( )
The teleconference was useful for discussing issues such as forest definition, forest types to be mapped and assessed (more…)
Available information/data at EU level
Use of Art. 17 data (conservation status of habitats) should be discussed with Pilot 1  (to be done)
• Draft list of tasks prepared and disseminated to co-leaders for discussion (done)
• Reference documents available on circa

5. Issues to be addressed through the pilot
Defining forest ecosystem
At pan-European level should be in line with data and indicators sources: EFDAC, FOREST EUROPE (MCPFE, UNECE, FAO), Eurostat
At MS level  to be discussed  In line with NFI [?]
Defining forest ecosystem types
At pan-European level to be decided on the basis of available forest data and indicators (bottom-up)

6. Issues to be addressed through the pilot
Defining a list of Forest Ecosystem Services
 CICES classification (on-going)
 Table 1 of common framework for EU (on-going). See example
Table 1 of common framework will be used to identify data, knowledge, gaps, etc. at EU and national level
This is the main next step
Contacting ALL pilot participants and setting of work to be done

7. Table 1 of common framework pan-European (on-going)

8. Way forward and next steps
To prepare Table 1 of common framework for FES at pan- European level (co-leaders, COM, EEA, stake-holders)  on-going
To invite ALL participants to complete Table 1 of common framework for each specific country (ALL  mid May)
Replies from ALL participants (Table 1) (ALL  mid June)
Summary of information collected (end June)
Table 1 completed  Pan-European and countries (mid July)
Drafting and other issues (end August)
Final delivery (18 September)

9. Defining forest ecosystem
Forest are:
Land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher than 5 meters and a canopy cover of more than 10 percent, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ.
Other wooded land (OWL) is:
Land not classified as “Forest”, spanning more than 0.5 hectares; with trees higher than 5 meters and a canopy cover of 5–10 percent, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ; or with a combined cover of shrubs, bushes and trees above 10 percent.
Source:
Eurostat; FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment (2010); MCPFE; EU Forest Action Plan  Main sources of forest information, data and indictors

10. Forest types classification (pan-European)
EEA:
European forest types – Categories and types for sustainable forest management reporting and policy (EEA Technical report No 9/2006)  Bio-climatic approach
Input to reporting:
MCPFE, UNECE, FAO-FRA,
Eurostat

11. Forest types classification (pan-European)
Hengeveld et al. (2012):
A Forest Management Map of European Forests 
Management approach

12. Thank you

13. Forest types classification (pan-European)
Other options:
A new Forest Type Classification?