12th Needle/Leaf Interlaboratory Comparison Test 2008/2009 : Further Development and implementation of an EU-Level Forest Monitoring System - Futmon - : Technical Report LIFE+ QA-RFoliar10 in Cooperation with the International Cooperative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP Forests)

Wien

2010

30 S. + Annex-Results

Monographie

978-3-901347-89-4

161707

56 laboratories in 30 countries participated in the 12th Needle/Leaf Interlaboratory Test. With the start of the Life+ project ŃFurther development and Implementation of an EU-Level Forest Monitoring Systemń (FutMon) at the beginning of 2009, QA/QC activities are financed for all countries participating in this project. There is a new system for qualification and re-qualification started with the last test in 2009. Together with the ring test report each participant will receive a qualification report. It has been decided to qualify the results of each parameter separately. If 50% or more (two, three or all four samples) of the results for this parameter for all the samples of the ring test are within the tolerable limits, the laboratory is qualified. Requalification is mandatory for laboratories of the FutMon partners and recommended for all ICP-Forests laboratories. This quality feedback and the following improvement in the practical laboratory work after the 11th Interlaboratory Comparison Test show here the first positive effect. The results of a lot of participating laboratories are in the 12th Interlaboratory Comparison Test better than before. Only the following participants, which have a higher percentage of non-tolerable results (above 20%) of the total results, have bigger QC/QA-problems in their laboratory: F22 (42.9%), A43 (40.6%), A59 (33.3%), F24 (32.1%), F04 (32.1%), A62 (31.3%), F26 (28.6%), A49 (28.6%), A57 (25.0%) and A42 (25.0%).