European forests are increasingly affected by climate change-driven stressors, which in combination with air pollution strongly reduces tree health and increases the risk of tree mortality. This poses a threat not only to wood production, but also to other ecosystem services such as biodiversity, water, soil protection, carbon sequestration and recreation. Long-term forest monitoring plays an indispensable role to address the influence of global change on forest ecosystems including their resilience toward specific climate extremes and air pollution.
Since almost 40 years ICP Forests monitors the interactive effects of air pollution, climate, site and stand factors on our forests under the UNECE Air Convention. This has resulted into a unique harmonized and standardized asset of long-term data, which allows scientists, stakeholders and policy makers to assess status, trends and functioning of European forest ecosystems in a changing environment.
The goal of FORECOMON 2024 is to highlight the unique ICP Forests data series and to demonstrate how data are used to support the development of future monitoring activities in European forests. Besides scientists, stakeholders and decision and policy makers are welcome to join the discussions on opportunities and needs of future forest monitoring.
We welcome contributions addressing how forest monitoring can identify relevant current and future pressures and responses, and how timely development of new monitoring schemes can support the development of resilient forests that fulfill the various functions and services to society.
FORECOMON 2024 will take place from 11-12 June 2024 at Grand Hotel International in Prague, Czech Republic, and is followed by the 40th Task Force Meeting of ICP Forests on 13-14 June 2024.
The programme can be downloaded from the website of the Forestry and Game Management Research Institute.
