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• Key message A dataset of forest resource projections in 23 European countries to 2040 has been prepared for forest-related policy analysis and decision-making. Due to applying harmonised definitions, while maintaining country-specific forestry practices, the projections should be usable from national to international levels. The dataset can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4t880qh . The associated metadata are available at https://metadata-afs.nancy.inra.fr/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/8f93e0d6-b524-43bd-bdb8-621ad5ae6fa9 .

The current state of research shows that there is big potential for the use of wood, particularly harvested wood products (HWP) to mitigate climate change and increase carbon stocks. Despite of discussions on different accounting approaches, the forest-based sector can contribute with the production of long-lasting wood products to reach international climate goals. This leads to high demands on forests and on what they can deliver both at EU and the national levels. In Austria it has been bemoaned by the Environmental Agency in its recent –eleventh- control report, that a comprehensive concept for the use of wood is missing. The report asks for consideration of increasing future needs for raw wood and energy under considerations of sustainability and under inclusion of all actors involved. Apparently there are some disparities within the different policy instruments. In order to successfully concertise the national policy framework it is of paramount importance to gather the policy actors involved and examine their suggestions for solving the issue. The article is enquiring amongst a number of high level Austrian experts and stakeholders about their perspectives and solutions for enhancing the contribution of the forest based sector to combat climate change. We examine the nature of the suggested instruments and outline the perceived options for action within the capacities of the forest based sector. This is done by way of a triangulation of face-to-face qualitative interviews, moderated focus group discussions and one survey. For the increase in carbon efficiency, all the participants notably emphasise long lasting material use and increase in use. Yet the opinions are contradicting when it comes to energetic use. Our findings indicate that the expert views reflect diverging perspectives on the use of wood for energy consumption. Some opt for policies that support energy consumption of wooden biomass to replace fossil fuels, others want any energy use of wood to become restricted drastically. As a final result, the article derives 16 principle policy measures and instruments that were brought up and assessed by the stakeholders in several rounds of interaction. We conclude that small improvements to existing measures could have ample impacts.

International audience; AbstractKey messageIn order to obtain the necessary information for decision making etc., it is of increasing importance to be able to assess increment in a reliable way. Only repeated measurements on permanent sample plots in national forest inventories can provide accurate and comprehensive information on the various components of annual increment. Such inventory systems are increasingly employed in European countries. The felling/increment ratio, characterizing wood use sustainability, should be expressed as the ratio of felled living trees (excluding dead trees) and net increment.ContextReporting of gross and net annual increment is an element of international forest resource assessments and crucial for sustainable forest management. A number of approaches exist for the estimation of increment and its various sub-components. AimsThe main objectives of the study are to assess in detail what methods European countries have used and are planning to use in the future for international reporting of increment. Also, the usefulness of the various approaches for the assessment of increment is evaluated.MethodsA questionnaire asking about their assessment methods was distributed among the UNECE/FAO national correspondents of all European countries and members of the UNECE/FAO Team of Specialists on Monitoring Sustainable Forest Management. Databases of the Temperate and Boreal Forest Resource Assessment 2000 and of the State of Europe’s Forests 2011 were also used. Furthermore, the methodological background was described on the basis of relevant literature sources and some examples for country groups presented.ResultsCountries have indicated what methods they used for assessment of various increment components, and the percentage of countries, forest area, and growing stock corresponding to these replies has been calculated. With regard to gross annual increment, these metrics represent about one third for inventories based on permanent sample plots, but this percentage is on the increase.ConclusionThe concept of the “control method” for forest management was developed more than 100 years ago but only utilized at the local level. The same methodology is now widely used at the national and regional level due to the implementation of modern national forest inventories using permanent sample plots. Care should be taken to utilize the data correctly for international forest resource assessments, in order to, e.g., avoid double counting of dead trees.

International audience; Key messageThe potential of European National Forest Inventories to harmonise stem quality estimation in European forests was identified despite considerable differences in existing national approaches.ContextKnowledge on stem quality and assortments structure in European forests is highly important for policy makers and the timber industry and also for carbon life cycle analysis due to the fact that different timber products have different end use and thus store carbon for different time periods.AimsThe study aim was to evaluate the potential of European National Forest Inventories (NFI) to objectively report on the stem quality in European forests in a harmonised manner.MethodsA comprehensive questionnaire was conducted as the first important step to evaluate the current status of stem quality assessment and assess the existing level of harmonisation.ResultsDirect stem quality assessment or classification is used in 19 out of 28 European NFIs. Only eight countries provide timber assortment estimates from their NFIs. In addition, different sampling strategies for stem quality assessment are used among NFIs. Tree parameters relevant for stem quality assessment on standing trees were identified for the purpose of harmonisation. Several methods towards harmonisation between European NFIs for the purpose of reporting on stem quality of European forests were suggested.ConclusionCurrent European NFIs are not capable of reporting the stem quality of European forests in a harmonised manner at this stage and considerable efforts will need to be taken before the harmonised stem quality estimation can be prepared. However, the inquiry also revealed that there is a potential to develop the harmonised estimations in future.

International audience; AbstractKey messageThe application of the ITOC model allows the estimation of available biomass potentials from forests on the basis of National Forest Inventory data. The adaptation of the model to country-specific situations gives the possibility to further enhance the model calculations.ContextWith the rising demand for energy from renewable sources, up-to-date information about the available amount of biomass on a sustainable basis coming from forests became of interest to a wide group of stakeholders. The complexity of answering the question about amounts of biomass potentials from forests thereby increases from the regional to the European level.AimsThe described ITOC model aims at providing a tool to develop a comparable data basis for the actual biomass potentials for consumption.MethodsThe ITOC model uses a harmonized net annual increment from the National Forest Inventories as a default value for the potential harvestable volume of timber. The model then calculates the total theoretical potential of biomass resources from forests. By accounting for harvesting restrictions and losses, the theoretical potential of biomass resources from forests is reduced and the actual biomass potentials for consumption estimated.ResultsThe results from ITOC model calculations account for the difference between the amounts of wood measured in the forests and the actual biomass potentials which might be available for consumption under the model assumptions.ConclusionThe gap between forest resource assessments and biomass potentials which are available for consumption can be addressed by using the ITOC model calculation results.

International audience; AbstractKey messageThe increment estimation methods of European NFIs were explored by means of 12 essential NFI features. The results indicate various differences among NFIs within the commonly acknowledged methodological frame. The perspectives for harmonisation at the European level are promising.ContextThe estimation of increment is implemented differently in European National Forest Inventories (NFIs) due to different historical origins of NFIs and sampling designs and field assessments accommodated to country-specific conditions. The aspired harmonisation of increment estimation requires a comparison and an analysis of NFI methods.AimsThe objective was to investigate the differences in volume increment estimation methods used in European NFIs. The conducted work shall set a basis for harmonisation at the European level which is needed to improve information on forest resources for various strategic processes. MethodsA comprehensive enquiry was conducted during Cost Action FP1001 to explore the methods of increment estimation of 29 European NFIs. The enquiry built upon the preceding Cost Action E43 and was complemented by an analysis of literature to demonstrate the methodological backgrounds. ResultsThe comparison of methods revealed differences concerning the NFI features such as sampling grids, periodicity of assessments, permanent and temporary plots, use of remote sensing, sample tree selection, components of forest growth, forest area changes, sampling thresholds, field measurements, drain assessment, involved models and tree parts included in estimates. ConclusionIncrement estimation methods differ considerably among European NFIs. Their harmonisation introduces new issues into the harmonisation process. Recent accomplishments and the increased use of sample-based inventories in Europe make perspectives for harmonised reporting of increment estimation promising.

For international reporting purposes, information on forest resources often has to be supplied according to international definitions. Nevertheless, the country reports of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005 indicate that countries either prefer to use their own forest definitions or use national classes of forest and other biomes as a basis for reclassification to resolve the discrepancy between national and international forest definitions. These preferences are due to the complexity encountered when dealing with the problem of transforming national estimates into estimates according to an international definition but are also due to the lack of a methodological foundation. In view of the multitude of existing national forest definitions and the increasing international reporting requirements, a thorough methodological consideration of the problem appears to be particularly necessary. Therefore, a mathematical approach for comparing national definitions to an international definition is developed. After formalization of definitions and illustration of the peculiarities in national forest definitions, the basics of set theory and simple logic are applied to derive six relevant cases that describe how national definitions of forest are distinct from that of FAO. As a result, we are able to assign each country to a specific case and thus provide a basis for further analyses. We also reflect on the reclassification problem and describe two examples that illustrate the influence of assessment methods in the aim to report according to a common definition.

The main objective of COST Action Usewood was to improve and harmonise data and information from National Forest Inventories (NFIs) on the potential supply of wood resources at European level considering the actual extent. This will improve the quality of data available to describe wood resources and possible wood uses. Such high quality information could be used for future scenario modelling and help inform political decision making for the renewable energy sector. The harmonisation of NFIs is based on reference definitions. Four different topics in terms of wood supply are covered and described in this chapter: forest available for wood supply, change estimation, stem quality, other wooded land and trees outside forest. These definitions will enable data comparison between countries and consequently, this will imply a transparent, comprehensive and robust information for decision-making.

Key message This analysis of the tools and methods currently in use for reporting woody biomass availability in 21 European countries has shown that most countries use, or are developing, National Forest Inventory-oriented models whereas the others use standwise forest inventory--oriented methods. Context Knowledge of realistic and sustainable wood availability in Europe is highly relevant to define climate change mitigation strategies at national and European level, to support the development of realistic targets for increased use of renewable energy sources and of industry wood. Future scenarios at European level highlight a deficit of domestic wood supply compared to wood consumption, and some European countries state they are harvesting above the increment. Aims Several country-level studies on wood availability have been performed for international reporting. However, it remains essential to improve the knowledge on the projection methods used across Europe to better evaluate forecasts. Methods Analysis was based on descriptions supplied by the national correspondentsinvolved in USEWOOD COST Action (FP1001), and further enriched with additionaldata from international reports that allowedcharacterisation of the forests in these countries for the same base year. Results Methods currently used for projecting wood availability were described for 21 European countries. Projection systems based on National Forest Inventory (NFI) data prevail over methods based on forest management plans. Only a few countries lack nationwide projection tools, still using tools developed for specific areas. Conclusions A wide range of NFI-based systems for projecting wood availability exists, being under permanent improvement. The validation of projection forecasts and the inclusion of climate sensitive growth models into these tools are common aims for most countries. Cooperation among countries would result in higher efficiency when developing and improving projection tools and better comparability among them. © 2016, INRA and Springer-Verlag France.

The collection of information on the approaches of wood resources assessment was essential to provide background details necessary to meet the objectives of COST Action Usewood. This chapter describes the processes that were used by COST Action Usewood to review the wood resource assessment methods used in NFI’s and gives an insight into the differences and similarities of definitions and methods applied by European NFIs. To address the specific objectives of COST Action Usewood, the activities of WG1 were organised into four sub-groups that would comprehensively describe the assessment of wood resources. The four sub-groups dealt with the topics of; Forest Available for Wood Supply, Stem Quality, Change Estimation and Other Wooded Land and Trees Outside Forest. The information provided through questionnaires and country reports provided the raw materials required to understand the differences between the definitions and components that make up the definitions that are applied nationally by the various NFIs. Results from the four sub-groups are presented outlining the diversity and similarities among the assessment of wood resources between countries.

International agreements such as the Kyoto protocol and Convention on Biological Diversity (1992), as well as, criteria and indicator processes require reports on the status of nations’ forests. Any comparison of the current status and trends of forest resources among nations presumes that the nations’ applied definitions and concepts produce comparable estimates of the status of forests. In spite of this, the FAO has already collected global information for 60 years and made noticeable efforts in creating common definitions, but forest related data are still collected using diverse definitions, even regarding basic concepts such as forest and forest area. A simple consequence is that the cross-countries estimates are not comparable. The reasons behind the differences in the definitions are diverse histories, and sometimes different use of forests. In an ideal case, national forest inventories should fulfil both national and international needs. In addition to the FAO’s Forest Resources Assessment process, other efforts are made to assess the status of forests in European countries, e.g. European Forest Information and Communication System (EFICS). EFICS produced reports about forest inventories but does not suggest any common definition or method to convert estimates from one definition to another one. This article presents principles and methods to create commonly acceptable and adoptable definitions for forest inventories. The principles and methods are demonstrated using two examples: the reference definitions of forest and growing stock. The article is based on the work of COST Action E43 (http://www.metla.fi/eu/cost/e43/).