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A plot-level exploratory analysis of European forest based on the results from the BioSoil Forest Biodiversity project
Full text linkThe lack of multi-dimensional data is one of the major gaps which limit the knowledge and the assessment possibilities of European forests. Nowadays, the most extensive and complete data on the European forest statuses are given by National Forest Inventories (NFIs) which provide information about the extent of forest's resources and their composition and structure. Traditionally, NFIs collect data related to trees, with a limited consideration of other habitat components, such as ground vegetation. This information which goes beyond the mere arboreal component is instead essential for a more complete forest biodiversity assessment. This paper is aimed at introducing the ICP Forests LI-BioDiv database which resulted from BioSoil Forest Biodiversity, a large collaborative European project. This database is organized as a multi-dimensional forest geodatabase that contains forest structure and vegetation records collected in 19 European countries in the period of 2005-2008. The data were acquired from 3311 geocoded plots where several different types of data were gathered: stand-level general information, tree-level data, deadwood, canopy closure and floristic composition. This paper is structured in order to: (1) give a clear overview of the raw data available in the database and to (2) present an elaboration of raw data to calculate simple plot-level forest variables (biomass, deadwood volume, alpha diversity). On the basis of the results we achieved, the LI-BioDiv database appears useful mainly for research purposes aimed at studying cross-relationships between multiple forest variables and not for an operative use for monitoring and assessing European forest. In particular, we hope that this contribution can stimulate scientists to carry out cross-analysis of the database for defining future forest biodiversity indicators that could be introduced into the field protocols of the NFIs in Europe
Pan-European forest biodiversity monitoring through the ICP-level I network. First results from the BIOSOIL-BIODIVERSITY project
Full text linkThe Sustainable Development Goal 15 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development aims at "protect, restore and promote
sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt
biodiversity loss". The EU Biodiversity Strategy contributes to the Goal 15 of the SDGs as its objective is to halt the loss of biodiversity and
ecosystem services in Europe.
Forest ecosystems are some of the most biodiverse habitats. For this reason, it is very important to specifically monitor temporal and spatial
trends of biodiversity in order to find those areas more affected by biodiversity loss and to guide land management and conservation actions. A
vast monitoring program covering the comprehensive concept of biodiversity would be impossible or at least financially prohibitive. Thus a
successful and statistically rigorous monitoring program able to track changes over time and space must be based on indicators. Even if
scientists have investigated a large number of compositional and structural biodiversity indicators, a clear consensus on the definition of the best
set of indicators was not yet reached.
In the framework of the two-years long BioSoil Forest Biodiversity Demonstration Project a large set of field data and information was acquired.
The database includes data and information on living trees, deadwood and a complete vegetation survey. On the basis of raw data we calculated
several forest biodiversity indicators and analysed their inter-relationships, and their variation in different forest types and environmental
conditions. The analysis contributes to advance our knowledge towards the selection of an adequate set of forest biodiversity indicators to
support the characterization of European Forest Types.
The results provide a fundamental and consistent support for the future implementation of multi-scale assessments of forest biodiversity
European Forest Types: toward an automated classification
Full text linkKey message: The outcome of the present study leads to the application of a spatially explicit rule-based expert system (RBES) algorithm aimed at automatically classifying forest areas according to the European Forest Types (EFT) system of nomenclature at pan-European scale level. With the RBES, the EFT system of nomenclature can be now easily implemented for objective, replicable, and automatic classification of field plots for forest inventories or spatial units (pixels or polygons) for thematic mapping. Context: Forest Types classification systems are aimed at stratifying forest habitats. Since 2006, a common scheme for classifying European forests into 14 categories and 78 types (European Forest Types, EFT) exists. Aims: This work presents an innovative method and automated classification system that, in an objective and replicable way, can accurately classify a given forest habitat according to the EFT system of nomenclature. Methods: A rule-based expert system (RBES) was adopted as a transparent approach after comparison with the well-known Random Forest (RF) classification system. The experiment was carried out based on the information acquired in the field in 2010 ICP level I plots in 17 European countries. The accuracy of the automated classification is evaluated by comparison with an independent classification of the ICP plots into EFT carried out during the BioSoil project field survey. Finally, the RBES automated classifier was tested also for a pixel-based classification of a pan-European distribution map of beech-dominated forests. Results: The RBES successfully classified 94% of the plots, against a 92% obtained with RF. When applied to the mapped domain, the accuracy obtained with the RBES for the beech forest map classification was equal to 95%. Conclusion: The RBES algorithm successfully automatically classified field plots and map pixels on the basis of the EFT system of nomenclature. The EFT system of nomenclature can be now easily and objectively implemented in operative transnational European forest monitoring programs
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