The Condition of Forests in Europe : 2012 Executive Report

Brüssel

2014

36 S.

zahlr. Lit. Ang.

Bandaufführung

193186

Harmonized pan-European forest monitoring ; The ICP Forests monitoring programme was established in 1985 under the auspices of the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution. Results reported are based on more than 7000 Level I and 500 Level II plots. Today, 42 countries participate in the programme. ICP Forests monitors the status and development of European forest health and vitality and assesses the effects of various stress factors on forest ecosystems. Deciduous trees show higher levels of damage than conifers; Around a fifth of all trees assessed in 2011 were rated as damaged. Coniferous forests are the most frequently occurring forests in Europe. They show lower levels of defoliation than deciduous forests. European and sessile oak had the highest proportion of damaged trees. Time series show continuously low defoliation in northern Europe. Worsening trends and peaks in defoliation in central and southern Europe are mostly related to drought. Air pollution affects the stability and nutrition of forests Sulphur deposition to forests has substantially decreased in Europe over the past decades. Nitrogen deposition shows only small decreasing trends. More than half of the forests with high nitrogen deposition are nitrogen-saturated. Nitrate is leached from these sites. Nutrient imbalances are specifically occurring on plots with high nitrogen deposition loads. Imbalanced nutrition makes forests more sensitive to additional stress factors. Forest growth is affected by climate change Climate scenarios project that forest growth will increase across Europe. This is mostly based on the assumption that the effects of CO2 concentrations on productivity will continue to increase. With CO2-concentrations fixed at current levels there would, however, be decreased growth in the south and increased growth in the north of Europe. Growth information is needed to project future timber supply and to support the development and adaptation of management regimes. Conclusions.