Harmonizing forest inventories and forest condition monitoring - the rise or the fall of harmonized forest condition monitoring in Europe?

Abstract

Considerable attention was received by the proposed “harmonization” process between forest condition monitoring (FCM) and “traditional” national forest inventories (NFIs) networks. While some harmonization has been achieved and documented within the FCM at European level, it is not so for NFIs. Since the two systems may show remarkable differences also at country level, the extent to which a fully harmonized European-scale FCM-NFI system can be achieved is rather uncertain, if ever possible. In contrast, different harmonization perspectives may be considered at national level: (i) harmonization of assessment/measurement methods, (ii) functional integration of network while keeping them separate, and (iii) full integration of networks. Unfortunately while the cost-benefit balance of this harmonization processes was not clarified, actions were already undertaken that may lead to the disruption of the FCM data series initiated in the 1980s. The conclusion of the process may be ironical: will the current effort in “harmonizing” NFIs and FCM results into the disruption of the European-wide longest and most harmonized time series of forest condition data?