INFOREST Information and monitoring of the forest environment Action 2141

1. INFOREST INFOREST Information and monitoring of the forest environment Action 2141 ISA: 2.1.4 Land resources INFOREST action leader G. Schmuck

2. INFOREST : Forest Activities Forest strategy of the EU • Agenda 2000 • Rural • Development • Policy EEC Regulations EEC Regulations Specific Items relating to Forestry • EEC 3528/86 (Protection against Atmos. Pollution). • EEC 2158/92 (Protection against fire : infrastructure). • EEC 804/94 • (Forest fire info. System) • EEC 1615/89 (EFICS) FOREST FOCUS Reference framework for SFM in context of Rural Development - EFICN DG AGRI DG ENV

3. DG AGRI EUROSTAT DG ENV EEA European Forest Information and Communication network EFICN Scientific and Technical Coordination Center forForest Focus JRC- IES National Focal point ForestPollution Data Platform New monitoring modules Biodiversity Carbon Sinks USERS National Focal point National Focal point Rural Development European Forest Fire Information System National Focal point National Focal point National Focal point INFOREST – Forest Focus & EFICN

4. FOREST FOCUS External Network linking JRC activities with the MS, other services of the Commission e.g., DG AGRI, International organizations and NGOs JRC- European Focal Centre for data management and support Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) 1. Management & Co-ordination 2. Establishing a data platform DG ENVIRONMENT FRAMEWORK AND COMMUNITY REGULATIONS FOREST FOCUS 3. Data preparation and evaluation External contractors 4. Proposal for Commission studies 5: Research and Development Internal JRC Research Network linking to activities on: Soils, Carbon balance – Climate Change (JRC/CC; JRC/GVM; JRC/S&W, JRC/E&H))

5. 1. Management and Coordination 2. Scientific and Technical Support 3. Data Preparation and Evaluation 4. Proposals for Commission Studies 5. Research and Development JRC- European Focal Centre for data management and support

6. 1. Management and Coordination • Scientific and technical supervision of Commission studies and technical aspects of contracts • Scientific and technical supervision of Nat. Programmes submitted to the Commission. • Interface for technical issues for MS and third parties • To establish a communication network for the exchange of technical information / data • Proposals for establishing ad hoc advisory groups to the SAG • Interface with DG ENV + DG AGRI and inter-services of the Commission • SAG secretariat

7. 2. Scientific and Technical Support • Design, establish and maintain an up-date database of all FF collected data + studies • Develop and implement standards for data handling and data transmission. • Develop and implement standards for metadata. • Up-dating of FF Technical manuals in collaboration with MS. • Maintain a FF Scientific Library with all the technical reports and accompanying information 3. Data Preparation and Evaluation • Data screening and validation • Data quality assurance; organization of workshops and inter-calibration courses. • Data evaluation and reporting for the different levels (0,I,II). • Yearly evaluation and reporting to DG ENV and EEA. • Data access dissemination according to data dissemination policies.

8. 4. Proposals for Commission Studies • Preparation of proposals and technical annexes for • studies under articles 6 & 7 • ITTs for JRC proposals • ITTs for DG ENV proposals • Technical supervision of technical annexes for MS proposals 5. Research and Development • Support to FF through internal JRC research in all the thematic topics • Forest fires (EFFIS) • Pollution • Level 0 applications (e.g. Image2000) • Statistical analysis of survey grids/ data validity • Biodiversity • Studies and research form other JRC Units (Soils, Climate Change – Carbon sinks, Air quality)

9. Increment 5 Year Forest Focus Crown Condition 1 Year Level I Foliar Level I Crown Condition Soil Inventory 10 Year Deposition Continuous Level II Database Meteorological Continuous Vegetation 5 Year Level I Soil Soil Solution Continuous Foliage 2 Year Activity on Data Handling (JRC) Common EU Forest Data Platform • DATABASE INTEGRATION • Create a flexible, integrated database bringing together elements previously managed in separate institutes.

10. Forest Focus • 2. INFORMATION MANAGEMENT • Maintain existing procedures for data submission • Registration, • Documentation, • Inventory, • Integrity / validation checks, • Feedback to NFC’s • Retain and enhance database integrity checking • Plausibility of combinations of parameters • Consistency over time • Incorporate information on assessment methods in database • Basis for creation of formal metadata • Using Data Accompanying Report Questionnaires (DARQ’s) Activity on Data Handling (JRC)

11. Forest Focus Commission Services Scientific Community General Public Intranet Extranet Internet Registration, Username/Password Activity on Data Handling (JRC) Public Access to aggregated data Dedicated Access Common EU Forest Data Platform 3. DATA DISSEMINATION Provide controlled, secure access to different user communities

12. DG AGRI EUROSTAT Member States & S F C JRC EFICN European Forest Information and Communication network Multipurpose of forestry in rural areas Assisting in Implementing EU-Forestry Strategy Statistical / geographical / descriptive data and information EFI Forest Sector The public

13. EFICN: European Forest Information and Communication Network Concept in relation to INSPIRE … User-1 User-n EU DATA PORTAL EU Geo Portal Single point of access to European spatial data GFIS Global Forest Info System Providing access to data from global sources. metadata catalogue metadata catalogue EFICN Providing access to forestry data from European sources. NSDI-1 NSDI-n EFICN PROVIDER-1 PROVIDER-n data … data metadata catalogue metadata catalogue metadata catalogue … National Spatial Data Portals Providing access to other types of data from European sources. Forest Focus EUROSTAT INDUSTRY MEMBER STATES data data data data Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe

14. The Network shall contribute : • To improve the co-ordination, communication and co-operation between the Commission and the Member States and between the Member States themselves, under the terms of Article 2(f) of the Council Resolution of 15 December 1998 on a Forestry Strategy for the European Union; • To characterise the role and impact of the forestry sector in the rural development policy and to emphasise, in particular, the contribution of the forestry measures to the fulfilment of the undertakings given by the European Community and the Member States at international level as well as to the fulfilment of the commitments made in the Ministerial Conferences on the Protection of the Forests in Europe, under the terms of Article 29.4 of Council Regulation (CE) n° 1257/99; • To enhance the availability and quality of statistical information and facilitate the access of all interested parties to information about the forestry sector.

15. The Network shall rely on statistical, geographical and descriptive information that are linked to the forest sector, and which are available at the international and the European Community level as well as at the level of Member States. • 2 The principal task of the Network shall be : • to serve as a forest information and communication tool by providing, on a voluntary basis, a description in the form of metadata about available relevant information sources and data sets on the forest sector and in particular on the forest measures within the rural development programmes under Council Regulation (EC) n° 1257/99. • to contribute to awareness - raising of the general public and forest practitioners as regards the implementation of the EU Forestry Strategy by stimulating the information flow in disseminating available descriptive information, such as reports, analysis and studies undertaken in Member States on targeted subject areas; • The Network shall be designed to allow users to locate and select data and information from different locations using the Internet, to evaluate the information and to select and to use relevant and suitable data for their specific purposes. The Network will require the data and information holders to fill in metadata for each data set in line with agreed. • 4 The information that shall be made available by the Network must be conform with the Community and national rules concerning the distribution of information, in particular in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) nº 322/97.

16. EFICS EFIS GFIS NEFIS EFICN

17. NEFIS

18. Why WP 6? • Promote awareness, gain and maintain motivation and confidence of the the data providers and user community beyond the lifetime of the project (too many results from research projects remain on the shelf – there is a need to look beyond the lifetime of the project) • Success and continuation of the work is strongly correlated to feedback from the user community (needed for up-dating, improvements etc.,) • JRC, together with partners of the NEFIS should encourage the presentation and demonstration of the results in politicalforae.g., • Standing Forestry Committee • ToS of the UN-ECE/FAO • IUFRO • DG AGRI • MCPFE

19. NEFIS - WP 6 • Objectives • To promote awareness amongst forest community and other data users • To continually inform DG AGRI, DG ENV and DG RTD of NEFIS developments and to ensure that NEFIS evolves in accordance with the needs of on-going and future forest and forest-related policies. • To ensure that NEFIS will evolve in an integrated manner with other Community networks in this field. • To act as the S&T link between the Commission services and NEFIS. • To demonstrate the system/service for the forestry/forestry related branches and user communities

20. NEFIS - WP 6

21. NEFIS - WP 6

22. Why the Symposium in WP6? • The symposium aims to bring together the data providers and the information users, but in a wider community than that of the NEFIS partners i.e., also to the the Public domain • The symposium is the venue at which working groups are established to ensure the continuation and improvement of the system and to ensure that the NEFIS is well-linked with other relevant initiatives to prevent duplication of work. • Document necessary follow-up activities.