ForestBIOTA (Forest Biodiversity Test-phase Assessments), 2003-2006

Under the umbrella of the ICP Forests Expert Panel on Biodiversity and Ground Vegetation Assessments and co-financed by the European Commission under the Regulation (EC) No 2152/2003 (Forest Focus), 12 European countries participated in the ForestBIOTA project.

It was based on more than 100 already existing intensive monitoring (Level II) plots of the ICP Forests monitoring programme and its well established infrastructure and database. National experts conducted field assessments in 2004 and 2005.

Aims

• The further development and test implementation of monitoring methods for different aspects of forest biodiversity. 
• Correlative studies between compositional, structural and functional key factors of forest biodiversity.
• Recommendations for forest biodiversity indicators and surrogates that can be applied in the context of large-scale inventories.

Results

Harmonized methods for the assessment of

• stand structure
• deadwood
• epiphytic lichens
• ground vegetation and
• forest classification

were developed (s. workreports below).

Documents

• Executive Summary (Sept 2007)
• iForest publication (March 2009)

• Workreport stand structure (Peter Meyer, May 2006)
• Workreport deadwood (Davide Travaglini, May 2006)
• Workreport epiphytic lichens (Silvia Stofer, May 2006)
• Workreport ground vegetation (Oliver Granke, May 2006)
• Workreport integrated evaluations (Walter Seidling, Richard Fischer, May 2006)

• Methodology for extended stand structure and deadwood assessments (June 2005)
• Methodology for extended stand structure and deadwood field forms (June 2005)
• Methodology for epiphytic lichen monitoring (June 2005)
• Methodology for extended ground vegetation assessments (2004)
• Methodology for habitat classification - Natura 2000 (June 2005)
• Methodology for harmonized forest type classification (April 2005)

• ForestBIOTA project proposal (15 Jan 2004)

• Minutes of the ForestBIOTA final meeting meeting in Athens, Greece, 9/10 May 2006
• Minutes of the ForestBIOTA evaluation kick off meeting in Hamburg, Germany, 13 December 2005
• Minutes of the ForestBIOTA kick off meeting in Ispra, Italy, 9 May 2005
• Minutes of the ForestBIOTA workshop in Lüneburg, Germany, 11 - 14 May 2004
• Corrected Link: Minutes of the ForestBIOTA workshop in Lüneburg, Germany, 11 - 14 May 2004