Monitoring Systems Harmonization

Forschungs-
projekt

Development and Harmonization of Monitoring Systems for Forest Resources Management in Europe (H. Binder/D. R. Pelz)

The inventory systems presently applied in the EU (mainly standwise) cannot meet today's information requirements. Within this project the methodology of existing continuous forest inventory systems (CFI) was refined. This process resulted in a set of modern, harmonised inventory and monitoring systems that promote environmentally sound forest management and meet the demand for extensive information concerning all forest resources (timber and non-timber). Furthermore, these systems are applicable in all regions of the EU to optimise the decision making process in the production of multiple goods and services.

At the beginning of the project an EU-wide survey by questionnaire was conducted. The survey results confirmed that CFI systems as well as collection of non-timber data occur only in a few isolated instances compared to the traditional standwise inventories.

Two computer programs (EURO-FOREST and EURO-TAX) were developed to optimise the design of inventory and monitoring systems with systematic sampling over the whole management unit of an forest enterprise. EURO-FOREST generates virtual forests, typical for a specific region, and simulates systematic sampling. The program EURO-TAX processes and analyses simulated as well as actual inventory data, both timber and non-timber, collected by systematic sampling.

For the non-timber functions recreation, water percolation potential, protection against erosion and forest fires, wildlife, hunting and grazing, assessment models were developed and integrated into the timber inventory and monitoring systems. For a standardised application of the developed inventory and monitoring systems throughout the EU common guidelines were worked out. They describe preparatory work, field work, and contain a list of all relevant variables. Documentation for EURO-FOREST and EURO-TAX, data recording forms and procedures are also included.

The research team established and tested the developed systems in their region. These pilot installations are ready for practical demonstration.

The research teams involved in the project were:
- Department of Forest Biometrics, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg (BIOM), coordinator
- Abteilung für Biometrie und Informatik, Forstliche Versuchs- und Forschungsanstalt Baden-Württemberg, Freiburg (FVA)
- Unité de Gestion et Economie Forestières, Faculté Universitaire des Sciences Agronomiques de Gembloux (FSAGX)
- Forest Research Institute, National Agriculture Research Foundation, Thessaloniki (NARF-FRI)
- Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Montes, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM-ETSI)

Publications:
PELZ D. R. ed. (1997): Forest Management Inventory Systems in Europe. Freiburg: Mitteilungen der Abteilung Forstliche Biometrie, 1997; 97-2