Each indicator presented in this paper contains a description, political and environmental context, available data, reporting period, methodological framework, presentation form and conclusions. All countries of the European Union report today forest statistics based on the indicators built by the authors of the article in a EUROSTAT project.
Monitoring and assessing the phytosanitary status of forests is a crucial activity in forest protection field, and the use of satellite remote sensing has become increasingly prevalent in this regard. Satellite images offer valuable information in terms of time and space, particularly through the analysis of vegetation and biophysical indices. Within this context, the aim of the study was to explore the potential of satellite remote sensing methods to monitor and assess the extent of tree defoliation caused by the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar). The research study was focused on a forest situated in the Oltenia region of Romania, which experienced a gradation period for the defoliator L. dispar between 2018 and 2020. To determine the extent of defoliation caused by L. dispar in 2020 and 2021, a rectangular network consisting of 70 one-hectare sample areas was implemented. Each sample area had a square shape with a side of 100 m. In each corner of the sample areas, sub-sample circles with a radius of 12.62 meters were established, in which visual observations regarding the defoliation levels were conducted. The study involved a comparison between thematic maps derived from ground observations and those based on specific remote sensing indices derived through the processing of Sentinel 2 satellite images, of the Ciuturica forest area during the years 2020 and 2021. The research study indicated that the canopy water content (CWC) index was the most suitable for assessing defoliation caused by L. dispar. Furthermore, the study highlighted that remote sensing methods could be very effective and easily applicable, complementing the field ground-based efforts in monitoring and assessing the impact of L. dispar infestations.
In: Analele ICAS, vol. 46 (1), 2003. ISSN 1583-2023, revistă de silvicultură și științele mediului, editată de Institutul de Cercetări și Amenajări Silvice, pag. 241-246
Mitigating the adverse effects of climate change and worldwide urbanization is one of the main tasks of local authorities and city managers. As a long-term solution, urban and periurban forests have the potential to mitigate the impacts of climate change by providing ecosystem services such as removing air pollutants, mitigating the urban heat islands, storing carbon, regulating local climate, limiting the risk of flooding, reducing noise levels, and improving the physical and mental health of citizens and their welfare. To promote, conserve, and enhance the benefits offered by the periurban forests, it is needed to adequately describe the forest ecosystems state, and understand well their structure and functionality. The objective of this study was to investigate the structure, diversity, and health status of one of the main periurban forest in Bucharest. In 2015 and 2020, biophysical measurements (diameter at breast height, total height, wood quality, cenotic class) and assessments of forest health status were conducted in a permanent sample monitoring network (PSMN). This PSMN consists of 46 sample plots located in the periurban Stefănești forest near Bucharest, Romania. The calculation included tree characteristics and stand volumes, while the tree species diversity was characterized using the Shannon (H) and Gini (G) indexes. Our study confirmed that higher diversity indexes of tree species and variability amongst the biometric characteristics at forest stand level sustain ecosystem resilience and adaptability to climate change, simultaneously bolstering their capacity to provide various ecosystem services. The gained insights are critical in helping forest managers, policymakers, and any stakeholders in the effort to evaluate and model the ecosystem services.
The ecosystem service (ES) concept is becoming mainstream in policy and planning, but operational influence on practice is seldom reported. Here, we report the practitioners' perspectives on the practical implementation of the ES concept in 27 case studies. A standardised anonymous survey (n = 246), was used, focusing on the science-practice interaction process, perceived impact and expected use of the case study assessments. Operationalisation of the concept was shown to achieve a gradual change in practices: 13% of the case studies reported a change in action (e.g. management or policy change), and a further 40% anticipated that a change would result from the work. To a large extent the impact was attributed to a well conducted science-practice interaction process (>70%). The main reported advantages of the concept included: increased concept awareness and communication; enhanced participation and collaboration; production of comprehensive science-based knowledge; and production of spatially referenced knowledge for input to planning (91% indicated they had acquired new knowledge). The limitations were mostly case-specific and centred on methodology, data, and challenges with result implementation. The survey highlighted the crucial role of communication, participation and collaboration across different stakeholders, to implement the ES concept and enhance the democratisation of nature and landscape planning. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V. ; Peer reviewed
The ecosystem service (ES) concept is becoming mainstream in policy and planning, but operational influence on practice is seldom reported. Here, we report the practitioners' perspectives on the practical implementation of the ES concept in 27 case studies. A standardised anonymous survey (n = 246), was used, focusing on the science-practice interaction process, perceived impact and expected use of the case study assessments. Operationalisation of the concept was shown to achieve a gradual change in practices: 13% of the case studies reported a change in action (e.g. management or policy change), and a further 40% anticipated that a change would result from the work. To a large extent the impact was attributed to a well conducted science-practice interaction process (>70%). The main reported advantages of the concept included: increased concept awareness and communication; enhanced participation and collaboration; production of comprehensive science-based knowledge; and production of spatially referenced knowledge for input to planning (91% indicated they had acquired new knowledge). The limitations were mostly case-specific and centred on methodology, data, and challenges with result implementation. The survey highlighted the crucial role of communication, participation and collaboration across different stakeholders, to implement the ES concept and enhance the democratisation of nature and landscape planning.