This document provides an overview of forest monitoring programs in Europe. It discusses International Cooperative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP Forests), which coordinates long-term, standardized monitoring of forests across Europe to assess damage from air pollution and climate change. The monitoring occurs at two levels - Level I provides annual overviews of forest condition across a grid, while Level II involves more intensive monitoring at specific sites. The data is used for scientific evaluations, modeling, and policy reports to track trends and impacts on forests over time. Forest monitoring has helped drive emissions reductions by providing evidence of air pollution damage.

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FOR 1412H: Natural Resource Management I (Module III Forest Inventory)
After the
forests the
humans die

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FOR 1412H: Natural Resource Management I (Module III Forest Inventory)
Monitoring the state of forests
and its importance in Europe (and beyond)
Tanja Sanders
Thünen Institute of Forest Ecosystems
25/11/2016

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Outline
• What is forest monitoring?
• What is ICP Forests?
• Who is working in forest
monitoring?
• What do we do?
• Where do we work?
• Why do we do it?
• What do we learn?
Thermo-Hydro-Measurement Unit (Picture: Lehmann)

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Forest inventory vs. monitoring

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Monitoring/ inventories/ growth studies
De Vries, W., et al.,
2014: Impacts of acid
deposition, ozone
exposure and weather
conditions on forest
ecosystems in Europe:
an overview. Plant Soil:
380:1-45

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Inventories in Europe
National Forest Inventory (NFI):
1) Rolling programme (10-15 year
intervals) to provide accurate
information about tree diameter and
species occurrences;
2) Policy relevant information on
growing stock used;
3) Sample points are evenly distributed
in a systematic grid;
Height measurement at an NFI plot in Germany (TI-WO)

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Inventories in Europe
4) Plots and trees are not visibly
marked to prevent forest owners
changing their management scheme on
these plots;
5) Calculation of forest area, tree
species diversity, age structure of
forests, growing stock, and timber
harvesting;
6) integral part of international reports
such as the Kyoto Protocol and the
United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
The diameter at breast height (dbh) is recorded for all
mature trees within a sampling transect as one of the
most important parameter (Picture: Waitkus)

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Monitoring in Europe
Level I:
1) annual overview on forest condition
2) based on a 16x16 km grid net covering
around 6000 plots in Europe;
Crown condition assessments
- Defoliation (% of leaf or needle loss)
- Discolouration
- Damages visible on the trees
Soil condition assessments
Foliar survey
Permanent markers at a Level I plot (Picture: Koltay)

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Monitoring in Europe
Soil solution measurements (Picture: Sanders)
Level II:
Intensive monitoring is the key for
providing insight into causes
affecting the condition of forest
ecosystems and into effects of
different stress factors.

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Organisation and structure

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Political context
EMEP
(European Monitoring and
Evaluation Programme)
UNECE
CLRTAP
EXECUTIVE BODY (EB)
ICP
Forests
ICP Integrated
Monitoring
ICP Modelling
& Mapping
Task Force on
Health
ICP
Vegetation
JEG, Joint Experts Group
on Dynamic Modelling
ICP
Waters
ICP Materials
WGE
(Working Group on Effects)
WGSR
(Working Group on
Strategies and Review)

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ICP Forests: Structure

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Surveys

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Surveys
Litter and deposition collectors on a Level II site
Crown condition annually
Foliar chemistry every 2 years (Level II)
Soil and soil chemistry every 10 - 15 years
Tree growth every 5 years
Ground vegetation every 5 - 10 years
Stand structure incl.
deadwood test phase ongoing
Epiphytic lichens test phase ongoing
Soil solution chemistry continuously
Atmospheric depostition continuously
Ambient air quality continuously
Meteorology continuously
Phenology several times per year
Litterfall continuously
Remote sensing preferably at installation

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Surveys
http://icp-forests.net/page/icp-forests-manual
The manual documents the harmonized
methods for sampling and analysis as
adopted by the participating countries
of ICP Forests.
A general revision of the ICP Forests
monitoring manual is currently been
carried out.
The updated parts
of the manual have been
or will be adopted by the
programme Task Force.

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Level I - international
Distribution of broadleaves and conifers Percentage of damages

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Level II - international

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Level I - national
http://www.lasy.gov.pl/informa
cje/publikacje/informacje-
statystyczne-i-raporty/raport-o-
stanie-lasow/raport-o-stanie-
lasow-w-polsce-2014/view

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Level II - national
Mean NH4-N deposition
Deposition measurement are one of the most important
surveys at the Level II sites; they are necessary for the
calculation of Critical Loads and are reported at different
political levels. Furthermore they are used as calibration values
for e.g. EMEP data;

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Results and applications

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Model calibration
High 2847 eq ha-1 a-1
Low 0
Measured deposition is higher than
modelled
Modelled deposition is slightly
higher or equal
Modelled deposition is higher than
measured

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Model calibration
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
TotalN[kgN/ha*a]
Year
UBA 299 42 210
UBA 204 63 252
MAPESI
PINETI
EMEP (v2013)
ICP-Forests Level II
Linear (EMEP (v2013))
Linear (ICP-Forests Level II)

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Scientic papers
Tipping, E., et al., 2014: Atmospheric deposition of
phosphorus to land and freshwater. Environ. Sci.:
Processes Impacts, DOI: 10.1039/c3em00641g.
No generally significant
temporal variations in P
deposition, over periods of up
to 19 years, were evident.
The data revealed no
systematic spatial variation in
P deposition, except for high
rates at 11 sites in an area of
Germany, probably due to
local agricultural emissions
from live-stock farming.

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Ground level ozone concentrations and exposures
April-September mean O3
concentrations ranged from 19 to 64
ppb.
The AOT40 threshold of 5 ppm h set
to protect forests from adverse O3
effects was exceeded on 75% of the
plots.

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A range of benchmark values of C
densities and stocks, readily available
for use in forest SOC (soil organic
carbon) models operational from plot
to continental scale could be
provided.
De Vos, B., Cools, N., Ilvesniemi, H.,
Vanguelova, E., Carnicelli, S., 2015:
Benchmark values for forest soil carbon
stocks in Europe: Results from a large scale
forest soil survey. Geoderma 251-252: 33-
46.
Scientific papers

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Scientific evaluations
Micro Meso Macro
Scale
Estimation of
tree specific
crown
defoliation
Calculation of mean
plot defoliation
Calculation of
European
defoliation for each
species
Mean annual
defoliation for
Northern, Central,
and Southern
Europe
Aggregation
CARNICER, Jofre, et
al. Widespread
crown condition
decline, food web
disruption, and
amplified tree
mortality with
increased climate
change-type
drought.
Proceedings of the
National Academy
of Sciences, 2011,
108. Jg., Nr. 4, S.
1474-1478.

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Trends in forest responses
Plot mean
defoliation
(points) and
trend (regional
Sen’s slope, red
line) for
pedunculate
and sessile oak
Tree species (group) Mann-
Kendall Tau
Regional
Sen’s slope
P Overall mean
[%]
Mediterranean deciduous oaks* 0.205 + 0.333 < 0.0001 23.05
Mediterranean evergreen oaks** 0.216 + 0.263 < 0.0001 21.71
Mediterranean lowland pines*** 0.205 + 0.333 < 0.0001 19.26
Pedunculate/sessile oak 0.221 + 0.400 < 0.0001 24.58
European beech 0.134 + 0.200 < 0.0001 19.21
Norway spruce 0.098 + 0.075 <0.0001 20.79
Scots pine -0.006 0.0000 0.3430 18.18

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Damaging agents
0 20 40 60 80 100
Fagus sylvatica
Quercus petraea
Quercus robur
Abies alba
Picea abies
Pinus sylvestris
broadleaved
broadleaved-mixed
broadleaved-coniferous-mixed
coniferous-mixed
coniferous

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Defoliation and the influence on growth
Defoliation[%]
Growth [cm2/a]

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Integrating Information

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“Global Challenges of Air Pollution and
Climate Change to Forests”
Contributions from ICP Forests (*: presenting, ** EMEP MSC-W. ***: ICP M+M)
• M. Nicolas : Global challenges of air pollution and climate change to the public forest
management in France.
• M Ferretti*, K Hansen, V Calatayud, M Camino-Serrano, N Cools, B De Vos, TM Nieminen, N
Potocic, P Rautio, M Schaub, V Timmermann, L Ukonmaanaho, P Waldner: Monitoring and
modelling the long-term impact of air pollution on forest health and growth in Europe.
• T Sanders, W Seidling*: Accumulating influences on individual tree parameters: Focus on crown
condition.
• M. Schaub*, M. Haeni, M. Ferretti, E. Gottardini, D. Simpson**, V. Calatayud: Ozone risk
assessment for European forests - a ten-year study on permanent monitoring plots.
• O. Badea*, I. Popa, S. Leca, D. Silaghi: Effect of climate change on tree growth from intensive
forest monitoring network in Romania.
• W. de Vries*, S. Etzold, M. Posch***, G. Jan Reinds***, L. Bonten, S. Solberg, P. Waldner, M.
Schaub, D. Simpson**: Assessment of impacts of nitrogen deposition, ozone exposure and climate
change on carbon sequestration by monitoring and modelling.

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Reports and Tasks
• “State of Europe’s Forests 2016” - an initiative of the Ministerial Conference
on the Protection of Forest in Europe (MCPFE process located at EEA).
• Chapters within the WGE/EMEP Trends Report
• Annual Executive Report
• Annual Technical Report

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Scientific publications

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Panic for nothing?

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Panic for nothing? No!
1) Forest decline became one of the main drivers for
negotiations for Europe wide air pollution control
within the Convention on Long-range
Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP).
2) Responding to the threats of acidification to
aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, the CLRTAP
agreed on the terms for air pollution control
throughout Europe based on scientific information
and evidence.
3) Emission reductions have been achieved through
changes in energy and industrial production
means and processes, such as conversion from
coal to natural gas and use of nuclear power.
4) Energy conservation and efficiency have also
contributed to emission reductions.

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tanja.sanders@thuenen.de
pcc-icpforests@thuenen.de
www.thuenen.de
www.icp-forests.net
We gratefully acknowledge
the member states of ICP
Forests with their numerous
staff for collecting, financing,
analysing, and submitting
their data.