European network for a long-term forest ecosystem and landscape research programme

Objetivo

A.Background

The European Forest Ecosystem Research Network - EFERN

In 1990 the Strasbourg Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (Resolution 6) provides a base for this Action. That Resolution stressed that the signatory states and the international institutions should "commit themselves to better combine their research efforts at the international level, on the management of forest ecosystems and, to this end, to set up a European network for research into forest ecosystems". Such a research network was initiated as a EU-FAIR concerted action EFERN - European Forest Ecosystem Research Network, operating 1996-1999.

A major conclusion of EFERN was that the further development and application of sustainable forest management will require a change of scale from basic understanding of forest ecosystem functioning to landscape functioning. This includes both upscaling of existing results and new approaches at landscape level. Further, the effects of former land-use and management on today's ecosystems require understanding as well as the consequences of ongoing changes in the ecosystem caused by a rapid evolution of rural socio-economy and wood market together with changing climatic and atmospheric environment. To consider the different problems, including the socio-economical aspects in the forest and today's landscape will require an expansion of concepts from forest stand to landscapes. Forest management is exposed to changes in classical paradigms.

The concept of "Ecosystem and landscape forestry" (EFERN Newsletter 5, 1998, Appendix 1) provides a framework for such a changing scale as well as incorporating socio-economic aspects at the landscape level. To develop this integrated discipline in Europe a special concerted action has been applied under the 5th Framework Programme - ELF (Ecosystem and Landscape Forestry). At the same time as this conceptual initiative, there is a need for a coordinated practical scientific programme associated with long-term field studies.

Future use of forestry and forest ecosystem experiments

Field experiments and long-term observations have been in use for a long time within forest ecosystem research. During the last 35 years these experiments have become more sophisticated both in their design and instrumentation. Today they represent a valuable asset as the changes have taken place since the start of the experiment have been "recorded" within the ecosystem. Recently, new research issues such as biodiversity and water quality show that field studies and/or experiments are required at the landscape scale. This calls for appropriate study areas and up-to-date experimental design.

However, as in most countries, experiments are often abandoned because of shrinking financial resources leading to loss of information and to short observation series. Significant ecological episodes may be missed entirely in such circumstances. A better long-term research environment with adequate resources needs to be created. One element in this is to foster an increased collaboration between European countries and to influence research funding across and between countries. Increased emphasis should be given to the use of existing and most valuable information and data to make comparisons between sites and regions as well as dealing with questions related to forest management.

Finally there is a need for a better link between field research facilities and monitoring programmes such as national forest inventories, European intensive monitoring of forest, forest health - ICP 1-3 etc. Their data can be used and integrated for research purposes in a manner that will add value to our knowledge of the behaviour of forest ecosystems over longer time horizons. This will lead also to new methodologies that can be utilised for improving the use and interpretation of monitoring data. The process will also provide an opportunity for improving methodologies that would be much valued by managers of monitoring programmes.

Landscape ecology and forest management questions

At the beginning, in the 1930s, landscape ecology emerged as an associate of ecology and geography. During the 1970s, the increase in environmental concerns gave a strong impetus to the development of the discipline. Its range of applications has grown from ecological cartography to the study of processes such as nutrient fluxes, population dynamics and biodiversity structure. This occurred within the context of spatial heterogeneity of ecosystems and the temporal hierarchical framework of mechanisms. Its associated new tools came from mathematics and physics (e.g. fractal geometry, chaos theory and percolation)

The concept of sustainable forest management challenges and redefines the traditional values of forest management. Societal concerns such as water quality, biodiversity, social benefits and the contribution of forests to rural development should be reflected in the scientific theories and practices operating in the study of landscape ecology. Depending on the question studied and on the socio-economic and ecological context, the landscape will be defined in different ways: watershed, small ecological region, pattern of mixed rural and forest lands, peri-urban forest etc.

Forest management will still have the forest stand as a fundamental unit of management. However, within the context of addressing sustainability of biodiversity and water quality on a macro scale a landscape level approach is necessary.

Other European and international networks related to forests and forestry

Forest ecosystem research sites are available from the 1960s and onwards. This began with the IBP during the period 1965-1970. Later followed MAB and a number of air pollution research sites and studies. The EU has supported a number of initiatives such as EXMAN, EUROFLUX and LTEEF. Nationally in Europe, there exists several research and/or monitoring networks. Good examples are Hungary (Hungarian Science Information Network), Switzerland (Forest Condition Inventory and Long-term monitoring) and UK (ECN Ecological Change Network). The best-known network is the Pan-European monitoring network of forest ecosystems. This network is based on the European Scheme on the Protection of Forest against Air Pollution and the International Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP Forests) under the Convention on Long-range Trans-boundary Air Pollution (UN-ECE) as well as Integrated Monitoring (IM).

Internationally there are several well established networks, the original of which emanated from the US namely the Long-Term Ecological Research Network (US-LTER). This has now developed into the International Long-term Ecological Research Network with representation in China, South America, Switzerland, Taiwan and other countries. While there is no similar common European network, this proposal will help to fill this obvious gap.

At the European level there have been a number of initiatives to create networks for forest ecosystem studies. Such examples are Forest Reserve Network (COST Action E4) and the BEAR-project - Indicators for monitoring and evaluation of forest biodiversity in Europe. However this proposal will focus on broader ecological issues within watersheds and landscapes.

B.Objectives and benefits

In accordance with the "Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe", there is now a need to establish a physical network, or a field base, of forest ecosystem and landscape research focusing on long-term sustainability issues.

Objectives

Overall objective

-To develop the scientific base for, and initiate a European network of sites for forest ecosystem and landscape research of relevance to sustainable forest management.

Specific objectives

-To establish a European network of sites for forest ecosystem and landscape research of relevance to sustainable forest management. These will be based on existing facilities and supplemented with additional sites where information gaps arise.

-To establish a common data bank of European field experiments relevant to sustainable forest management, containing comparable information about sites, data and appropriate research programmes

-To strengthen and to stimulate this network of sites by means of a common minimum research programme

The above objectives will seek to stimulate research perspectives, new ideas about instrumentation and infrastructure, identify information gaps, and encourage a common vision for sustainable forest management.

Benefits

-Creation of a legacy of well designed and documented long-term experiments and observations for ongoing research and future generations;

-Improvement of our understanding of forest ecosystem and landscape functioning as a prerequisite for sustainable forest and landscape management;

-A recognition of current sustainability issues by linking long-term forest ecosystem and landscape research with existing monitoring programmes;

-Generation of better and more efficient research and monitoring programmes profiting from their mutual interaction to improve methods, extrapolation and utilisation of results;

-Contribution to an increased European collaboration and utilisation of existing and new experiments giving a possibility for:

-Development of centres of excellence for integrating information and knowledge from forest ecosystem and landscape research as well as applied management with socio-economic considerations - "model forests";

-Contribution to the emergence of a common European thought process on sustainable forest management issues.

C.Scientific programme

Focus and elements of a network for long-term ecosystem and landscape research

The focus of this suggested network will be sustainable forest management. The application of sustainability to forest management requires that it be based on fundamental scientific principles of a better knowledge and understanding of ecosystem functioning. This understanding is the basis for interpreting the consequences of management practices as well as effects of environmental changes.

The idea is to create a network or a European field base for ecosystem and landscape forest research. The following elements can be represented in such a field base:

Ýlandscape or watershed level,

Ýforest ecosystem level:

Ýnon-experimental: ecosystem studies, land-use history etc

Ýexperimental: management: spacing, thinning, intensity of harvesting, fertilisation, liming, acidification, ozone, C02, temperature and irrigation

The net or "field base" concept in this case is a complex concept associating elements of different natures. It could imply that elements included need not necessarily to be situated within the same area. The final design needs to be subject to further analyses within the proposed COST Action.

The landscape or watershed level need to be large enough to include the possibility of following changes in land-use and management and their effect on biodiversity as well as water quality and socio-economic values. Watershed investigations are available. During recent years biodiversity investigations in relation to land-use planning and landscape level have started to appear.

In a future European field base the possibility to validate and generalise from individual studies need to be better linked to monitoring programmes and vice versa.

Scientific framework and steps

The scientific framework for this Action is the one outlined in the conclusions of EFERN. It consists of the integration of basic scientific studies into the concept of forest ecosystem and landscape forestry such being the necessary various components for developing a programme of sustainable forest management. Emphasis is given to multiple use of forests and takes into account the land-use history and a changing environment within forests. The main topics identified as components for co-operation and coordination are: forest planning, management practices, biodiversity, production and stability, water quality, and socio-economic functions.

The development of the net of European forest ecosystem and landscape research sites will proceed with the following steps:

Step 1: Identification of criteria for sites to be included in the net:

This will be developed in association with scientists and forest managers on the basis of EFERN recommendations as follows:

-Identification of the main scientific issues in relation with sustainable forest management in the context of landscape ecology.

-Identification of criteria to be used in the national inventories of experiments, their description and the subsequent development of a European data bank of forestry experiments.

-Comparative study of the development of scientific programmes in participating countries. This will include comparisons between site categories

Step 2: Invitation to participate

-Invitation for participation to be sent to all site managers and scientific teams engaged in works on these sites.

-Categorisation of sites within the site identified

-Identification of missing site categories.

Step 3: Completion of the net

This is the final step in process. At this stage the project should contain a precise description of the sites participating (including conditions of scientific interdisciplinary collaboration development) and will lead to the development of the following:

-A common scientific programme: it should be understood as the minimum research programme (common denominator) and it is not intended to cover all possible research to be done on the sites. It should be developed on the basis of questions arising from sustainable forest management and it should identify priority scientific approaches, profiting from the comparative study done at step 1 and outlined above. Special attention should be paid to selecting methodologies to be applied on every site of the net to manage the relation between the different spatial and time scales (e.g. up-scaling by coupling functional models and remote sensing data, or identification of critical scales in vegetation patterns, etc.).

-Linkage with monitoring programmes: it should be seen in two ways. Data from monitoring programmes can be used for generalisation purposes, and monitoring programmes can benefit from research results from a methodological point of view. This objective requires a specific methodological discussion and the identification of pilot subjects to carry out the following:

-biodiversity assessment and research results on site could be examined with corresponding data from monitoring plots,

-biodiversity assessment on monitoring plots can take into account the environment of the plots by using methodologies developed at landscape level on research sites.

-Instrumentation and infrastructure required. Several aspects are at stake here: having a technically up-to-date, methodologically appropriate and innovative observation equipment with common standards of measurement and models. This will involve the development of an appropriate and adequate infrastructure for observation and studies at landscape level, etc.

-Realisation and funding. It is expected that the net can be built from existing sites with some addition in the future. Future coordination and specific international research tasks are expected to be funded from international sources such as the EU. The funding of maintenance of the national components of the net will be the responsibility of national authorities. Strategies and principles for the ways and means of funding will require careful negotiation with national and international organisations. It will also be essential to negotiate with other national and international nets in order to optimise investments and avoid duplications.

D.Organisation and timetable

It is proposed to organise the work using meetings of the management committee, temporary working groups, and plenary meetings as are appropriate to each step of the Action. A steering committee will coordinate the work of the different groups, supervise and coordinate the national surveys. This committee will be composed of the chairperson and vice-chairperson of the Action, the co-ordinators of the working groups and by co-ordinators for the five ecological regions of Europe: Mediterranean, Temperate West, Temperate East, Boreal and Mountains.

The data bank will be developed and hosted by an organisation such as the European Forest Institute (EFI).

The following scheme summarises the organisation during the period of the Action:

Management Committee (MC)(Steering Committee (SC)
representatives from participating countriesChairman and vice-chairmen
WG co-ordinators
Eco-region Co-ordinators

Working Groups (WG), associating scientists and forest managers:

WG (WG (1WG (2WG (3
Identification of scientificScientific programmeInstrumentationLink with
base and criteriaand infrastructure monitoring programmes for site
selection

WG ( 4
Realisation and funding

Working group alpha:

The main task of this group will be to develop the scientific base for the net. The starting point will be the result of the EFERN concerted action, as exposed in the special issue of Forest Ecology and Management (in press) which presents the state of the art of research for the wise use of European forests and a conceptual framework for future ecosystem researches. This group should focus on the main forest management questions to be dealt with and on the main scientific approaches to be given priorities. Therefore it should attract a large representation of forest managers throughout Europe, together with scientists aware of EFERN achievements.

Working groups beta:

Their tasks will be to elaborate the project of net in details. They should be more specialised on the four strategic issues of this project:

1.scientific programme,
2.linkage with monitoring programmes,
3.instrumentation required on the sites,
4.funding aspects.

The beta groups 1, 2 and 3 will be composed of scientists from participating countries, chosen for their ability in the scientific fields identified at step 1 and in relation with the sites selected at step 2. Participation of the co-ordinators of monitoring networks ICP level 1 and 2 is highly recommended.

E.Economic dimension

Scientists from the following countries have actively participated in the preparation of this Action: Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. Nevertheless the proposers of the Action anticipate that, when open for signature, the Action will attract the vast majority of signatory countries (Resolution 6 Strasbourg).

A conservative estimate of known research activity in this area within those countries likely to participate is EUR 1,75 million per annum giving an estimated total of EUR 7 million for the life of the Action and current prices.

F.Dissemination plan

The main deliverable of the Action is the net itself, with the description and guidelines containing the scientific programme, the equipment and infrastructure requirements, the principles governing the linkage with forest monitoring programmes, and the precise description of participating sites.

The Action will produce the following main deliverables:

-National surveys of existing forestry and forest ecosystem research experiments/sites, built on common criteria and definitions.

-Data bank of European field experiments relevant to sustainable forest management, containing comparable information about sites, data and research programmes.

-Comparative studies of the way scientific programmes have been developed on sites, between countries and between categories of sites.

-Details of a common minimum research programme unifying the European net.

-Establishment of a European net with instrumentation and infrastructure, its funding and co-operation with other nets.

The management committee will organise meetings at least once a year with the principal main aim of recording progress. Joint meetings among the working groups will be organised in such a way as to best promote interdisciplinary communication.

All publications arising from research carried out under the present COST-Action will credit such support. The management committee will encourage and promote co-authored papers. Results of research carried out by the working groups will be submitted to international scientific journals and reviews.

The main strategy for the dissemination is:

1.to make available the results of the Action to all responsible for formulating the forest and environmental policy of the EU via the COST secretariat.
2.the national authorities responsible for the forest and environmental policy will be informed about the findings of the project.

In both cases, the research findings will also be further developed in a format applicable for policy-making, forest management practitioners. In all cases the form of recommendation will recognise national, ecological, economic and social conditions relevant to the country concerned.

An important vehicle of dissemination will be the WWW, which will inform the research and forestry communities in real time with feedback necessary in promoting the scientific and practical dimensions of the Action. Each participant will be encouraged to support a WWW site themselves or arrange for an associated institution or another participant. The presidency of this COST Action will assume the role of integrating the information on a single WWW page that will act as the entry point to information about the COST-Action as decided in the planning process of the Action. The texts will also be published in the form of CD-ROM, and made available on the Internet.

The other ways for dissemination of the research findings are more conventional including scientific reports, articles in professional journals and summary reports integrating the main scientific and professional findings of the project. In this context, an open workshop halfway through the project will be organised for the main end-users in order to evaluate the interim-results of the project. With regard to the scientific findings, one of the main forums for the dissemination will be scientific congresses.

The successful dissemination of the outputs from this project will involve close coordination between all the participants involved. It is proposed that a feedback mechanism be put in place whereby yearly status reports must be submitted to the project co-ordinator on the progress of the project throughout its lifetime. These will be incorporated into an annual "Progress Report" to the Technical Committee on Forests and Forestry Products. This will be used for the evaluation of individual contributions and the success of the COST.

Programa(s)

IC-COST - European cooperation in the field of scientific and technical research (COST), 1971-

Tema(s)

14 - Forestry

Convocatoria de propuestas

Data not available

Régimen de financiación

Data not available

Coordinador

N/A

Aportación de la UE

Sin datos

Dirección

Suecia

Coste total