Forest growth

Assessment versions

Published (reviewed and quality assured)

• No published assessments

Rationale

Justification for indicator selection

Forests contain 77 % of the global carbon pool in vegetation biomass and hence play an important role in the global carbon cycle (Dixon et al., 1994; IPCC, 2007). Forests and woodlands provide many things that society values, including food, marketable products, medicines, biodiversity, carbon reservoirs and opportunities for recreation.
In addition, they regulate biogeochemical cycles and contribute to soil and water conservation. Changes in global climate and atmospheric composition are likely to have an impact on most of these goods and services, with significant impacts on socioeconomic systems (Winnett, 1998).
Management has a significant influence on the development of the growing stock and forest productivity. Adaptation measures include changes to plantation practices and forest management, the planting of different species mixtures, better matching of the species to the specific site, planting of similar species from their places of origin and non-native species in anticipation of climate change (Broadmeadow et al., 2003), and the restoration of forest typologies that could offer greater flexibility to climate change (Kolling, 2008).

Scientific references

• No rationale references available

Indicator definition

• Current (2000) and projected (2100) forest coverage in Europe
• Impacts of climate change on forest growth and forest conditions
  

Units

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/eea_report_2008_4/pp111-148CC2008_ch5-7to9_Terrestrial_ecosystems_soil_and_agriculture.pdf

Policy context and targets

Context description

No context has been specified

Targets

No targets have been specified

Related policy documents

No related policy documents have been specified

Methodology

Methodology for indicator calculation

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/eea_report_2008_4/pp111-148CC2008_ch5-7to9_Terrestrial_ecosystems_soil_and_agriculture.pdf

Methodology for gap filling

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/eea_report_2008_4/pp193-207CC2008_ch8_Data_gaps.pdf

Methodology references

No methodology references available.

Data specifications

EEA data references

• No datasets have been specified here.

External data references

• Change of habitat suitability coverage of European Forest Categories

Data sources in latest figures

Uncertainties

Methodology uncertainty

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/eea_report_2008_4/pp193-207CC2008_ch8_Data_gaps.pdf

Data sets uncertainty

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/eea_report_2008_4/pp193-207CC2008_ch8_Data_gaps.pdf

Rationale uncertainty

No uncertainty has been specified