National Forest Inventory: Networked in Europe

In contrast to various forest environmental monitorings (forest condition survey, forest soil survey, intensive monitoring), the National Forest Inventory is not integrated into European or multinational programmes. National forest inventories have developed independently in the countries and are always carried out under national responsibility.

But all national forest inventories have similar questions, challenges and methodological bases. However, due to their historical development and different forest vegetation, they differ in many methodological details, so that the results are not always comparable. This concerns, for example, the forest definition and the components of the wood supply.

Nevertheless, there is a growing need for harmonized forest information at the European level and beyond. Against this background, inventory experts from 17 European countries - including Germany - founded the European National Forest Inventory Network (ENFIN) in 2003. Currently, the ENFIN group includes 32 organizations from 29 member countries. ENFIN pursues the following goals:

• Harmonization of forest information
• support of forest-related policy measures on a European level
• scientific exchange of information and experience
• Initiation of joint projects
• promotion of national forest inventories

With our data and expertise, we are involved in various projects initiated by the network, together with many other European countries. The most important are:

• COST Action E 43: Harmonisation of National Forest Inventories in Europe: Techniques for Common Reporting (2004-2008).
• Three Framework contracts for the provision of forest data and services in support to the European Forest Data Centre (2007-2012, 2012-2016, 2018-2022)
• COST Action USEWOOD: Improving Data and Information on the Potential Supply of Wood Resources: A European Approach from Multisource National Forest Inventories (2010-2014)
• DIABOLO: Distributed, Integrated And Harmonised Forest Information For Bioeconomy (2015-2019)
• ENFIN Alps: National Forest Inventories in the Alps (since 2016).