Explanatory Memorandum to SEC(2010)978 - Document de travail de la Commission de la Commission sur la mise en oeuvre finale du projet "Forest Focus" selon le règlement (CE) N0 2152/2003 du Parlement européen et du Conseil du 17 novembre 2003 concernant la surveillance des forêts et des interactions environnementales dans la Communauté (Forest Focus), document accompagnant le Rapport de la Commission au Parlement européen et au Conseil sur la mise en oeuvre finale du projet "Forest Focus" selon le règlement (CE) N0 2152/2003 du Parlement européen et du Conseil du 17 novembre 2003 concernant la surveillance des forêts et des interactions environnementales dans la Communauté (Forest Focus) - Main contents
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| dossier | SEC(2010)978 - Document de travail de la Commission de la Commission sur la mise en oeuvre finale du projet "Forest Focus" selon le ... |
|---|---|
| source | SEC(2010)978  |
| date | 26-08-2010 |
Contents
- EUROPEAN COMMISSION
- COM(2010) 430 final
- Fig.1. Rate of expenditure per activity for the 4 year period 2003-2006
- Figure 4. Expenditure by MS for the forest fire prevention activities 2003-2006
- Fig 6. Consumption rate of the national programmes by Member State 2003-2006
- Annex 3. Studies coordinated by the Joint Research Centre
- Support to the technical coordination of the Biosoil project and central laboratory
Brussels, 26.8.2010
SEC(2010) 978 final
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT
on the implementation of the Forest Focus scheme according to Regulation (EC) No 2152/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 November 2003 concerning monitoring of forests and environmental interactions in the Community (Forest Focus)
accompanying document to the
report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the Forest Focus scheme according to Regulation (EC) No 2152/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 November 2003 concerning monitoring of forests and environmental interactions in the Community (ForestFocus) ‑ Final report
1.Financial overview
The financial overview of the initial commitments and the final expenditure of the Forest Focus scheme is shown in table 1. The breakdown of the scheme has been done in two main blocks: the monitoring activities, forest fires prevention activities and studies included in the national programmes for 2003 and 2006 and what is considered as the 'other use of the Forest Focus budget'. This second block includes the mid term review of the Forest Focus Regulation, the experts meetings, the administrative arrangement with the joint Research Centre, the agreement between ICP-forests and the European Commission, the report from the UNECE on the state of forests in Europe 2007 and the conferences organised by the Commission on the results of the demonstration projects and studies.
Table 1. Total budget allocations and final payments1
| Monitoring Activities and studies from all NP 2003-2006 | € committed | € paid |
| A activities – coordination and management | 3.890.786 | 2.325844,63 |
| B1 – Level I monitoring network | 4.682.896 | 4.009.735,70 |
| B2 – Level II intensive monitoring plots | 21.526.698 | 19.566.344,86 |
| B3 – forest fire prevention activities and EFFIS | 9.364.283 | 5.055.365,85 |
| C – studies and demonstration projects | 17.003.559 | 14.815.015,06 |
| Subtotal 1, allocation for monitoring activities 2003-2006 | 56.468.222 | 45.772.306,10 |
| Other use of the Forest Focus budget | ||
| Mid term review of the Forest Focus regulation | 326.000,00 | 326.000,00 |
| Expert meetings on forest monitoring | 79.585,80 | 29.087,71 |
| Administrative arrangement with the Joint Research Centre: scientific co-ordination body | 6.382.000,00 | 6.382.000 |
| Agreement between ICP-forest and the European Commission | 750.000,00 | 747.067,91 |
| Report from the UNECE on state of forests and sustainable forest in Europe 2007 | 50.000,00 | 40.000 |
| Conferences on the results of the C-Studies 2003-2004 & Biosoil project | 46.093,37 | 46.093,37 |
| Subtotal 2, amount committed for agreements and grants | 7.587.586 | 7.570.248,99 |
| Total (subtotal 1 + subtotal 2) | 64.055.808 | 53.342.555,09 |
Figure 1 shows the rate of expenditure in percentage of each of the activities as grouped within the National Programmes. 43% of the expenditure went to the intensive air pollution monitoring in the 820 selected plots followed by a 32% for the studies and demonstration projects, 11% was spent in forest fires related activities and a relative low rate of the systematic air pollution monitoring in the 6000 level I plots. A 5 % was spent for the coordination and management of the national programmes.
Absolute final expenditure per MS and activity
The final expenditure by Member State and by activity included in the national programmes is shown in figure 2. Most of the MS spent higher amounts in the intensive monitoring and less in the 16 x 16 km systematic network. Several MS used as well a considerable part of the budget for drafting studies and demonstration projects.
The higher absolute amount for a MS reached the 10 million € meanwhile, the minimum was a bit more than 130,000 € and the average around 1.9 million €.
Figure 2. Expenditure per MS and activity.
Studies and demonstration projects
The studies and demonstration projects can be grouped into 3 main categories; Biosoil, forest fires studies and other studies. The Biosoil demonstration study included two modules: the biodiversity module and the soil module with data from both the level I and level II networks.
Other studies include studies on genetic diversity, biodiversity indicators, carbon, pest management etc.
Table 2. Breakdown of the costs for the studies and demonstration projects.
| C studies | € committed | € paid |
| Biosoil | 10.698.409,00 | 10.014.338,89 |
| Forest fire studies | 2.327.587,00 | 1.208.019,37 |
| Other studies (biodiversity, climate change, genetics, etc) | 3.977.565,00 | 3.592.656,80 |
| Total | 17.003.561 | 14.815.015,06 |
Forest fires activities
Forest fire related activities such as preventive works, awareness raising campaigns, trainings etc were performed in 13 MS. 5 million € have been spent in fire prevention measures, awareness raising campaigns, special trainings and EFFIS activities at the same time more than 1.2 million € has been spent in studies on forest fire causes, dynamics as well as on their impacts as shown in figures 3 and 4.
Figure 3. Forest fires related expenditure.
Final consumption per 1000 ha of forest and other wooded land
An assessment of the final consumption per MS divided by each MS forest and other wooded land area2 per 1000 ha is shown in figure 5. The total expenditure of the national programmes show that the higher amounts spent per 1000 ha of forest and other wooded land reached 2,250 € in Cyprus and the minimum amount accounted for less than 500 € in 16 MS.
Figure 5. Final payments by 1000 ha of forest area per MS.
Consumption rate
The consumption rate, calculated as the final expenditure over the initial commitment, shows a high rate of implementation of the scheme and a proper use of the committed funds. A considerable number of MS had a rate above an 80% meanwhile only 2 MS performed below the 50%.
Relative share of expenditure
The analysis of the relative share of expenditure per type of activity and MS is shown in figure 7. It is observed that from the activities included in the national programmes the intensive monitoring with the studies and demonstration projects took a great part of the funds. Only some MS used the Forest Focus scheme for forest fires related activities but for some of them it constituted a very important part of their national programmes (i.e. Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Hungary, Italy and Portugal).
Fig. 7. Relative share of expenditure by type of activity.
Annex 1. National codes used in Forest Focus as designated by the Member States.
Annex 2 List of Forest Focus studies and demonstration projects 2003-2006:
| MS | Description |
| DK | Forest Biota (Forest Biodiversity Test-phase Assessments) www.forestbiota.org/">www.forestbiota.org/ www.forestbiota.org/docs">www.forestbiota.org/docs |
| DK | Synthesis of litterfall monitoring in Denmark 1985-2006 |
| SE | Biodiversity indicators in national forest inventories www.resgeom.slu.se/resana/projekt/common/default">www.resgeom.slu.se/resana/projekt/common/default (Com Mon) comparison and evaluation of methods for monitoring of deadwood, vegetation, epiphytic lichens and stand structure in European forests |
| SE | Collection of precipitation in winter |
| AT | Soil-bio-Params – analysis of basic soil parameters, effects on soil storage |
| AT | Biodiversity indicators in national forest inventories - review and monitoring and assessing forest structure as an indicator of biodiversity in NFI |
| EL | Forest Biota |
| FI | monitoring biodiversity in boreal forests |
| FI | Monitoring changes in the carbon stocks of forest soils www.metla.fi/hanke/843002/results">www.metla.fi/hanke/843002/results |
| FI | The role of under-storey vegetation, forest litterfall and forest floor in the carbon and nitrogen fluxes of boreal coniferous forest ecosystems |
| FI | Laboratory ring test for deposition and soil solution www.skogoglandskap.no/publikasjon/SF_3901_3437">www.skogoglandskap.no/publikasjon/SF_3901_3437 |
| FI | Forest Biota |
| ES | Ozone monitoring coordination - website of ozone injury on European forests ecosystems: www.ozoneinjury.org/">www.ozoneinjury.org/ |
| ES | Forest Biota |
| ES | Forest fire causes, motivation of forest arson fires in Spain www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/sevilla-2007">www.fire.uni-freiburg.de/sevilla-2007 |
| IT | forest fire causes |
| IT | Canadian fire weather index |
| IT | Ozone flux |
| IT | Working ring test |
| IT | HARMODEPO |
| IT | ForestBiota |
| IT | GMO and Biodiversity |
| IT | Biorefugia - response of tree species to climate change sweb01.dbv.uniroma1.it/bruno/biorefugia/index |
| IT | Carbon flux |
| PT | forest fire causes in continental Portugal |
| PT | Implementing an operational methodology for biodiversity monitoring in Portuguese forests www.isa.utl.pt/ceabn/content/2/155">www.isa.utl.pt/ceabn/content/2/155 |
| PT | Forest Biota |
| UK | Use of tree nurseries for monitoring visible ozone injury |
| UK | Quality assurance - crown condition |
| UK | Improvement of modelling of catchment water dynamics |
| D-BFH | ForestBiota |
| D-BY | Soil respiration |
| D-BY | genetic characterisation of beech forest stands |
| D-BW | carbon stocks - soil |
| D-BW | Small scale variability of humus types |
| D-BB | Simulation model carbon balance |
| D-BB | Regionalization of soil change due to a lowering of the water table |
| D-BB | Fine root inventory on soil profile pit |
| D-BB | genetic diversity |
| D-NW | monitoring epiphytic lichens |
| D-NW | carbon stocks monitoring |
| D-HE | genetic diversity - beech stands |
| D-HE | litterfall and carbon cycles |
| D-HE | carbon stocks - soil |
| D-NI | carbon stocks - soil |
| D-NI | carbon flux |
| D-NI | working ring test |
| D-SH | epiphyte monitoring |
| D-SN | regionalisation of soil data |
| D-SN | epiphyte monitoring |
| D-SN | forest fire - ecological and economic impacts |
| D-RP | remote sensing - habitats and structures |
| D-RP | genetic diversity - beech stands |
| NL | Assessment of the relative importance of N deposition, climate change and forest management on the sequestration of carbon by forests in Europe (predicting changes in forest growth and carbon sequestration) www.onderzoekinformatie.nl/en/oi/nod/onderzoek">www.onderzoekinformatie.nl/en/oi/nod/onderzoek |
| FR | forest fire - moisture content of Mediterranean wildland fuels |
| FR | forest fire - fire ignition |
| FR | fungal pathogens |
| FR | integrated pest management through monitoring |
| FR | humus sampling |
| FR | forest soil biodiversity |
| FR | fungi and lichens monitoring |
| FR | Working ring test |
| BE-VL | forest soil biodiversity |
| BE-VL | forest soil survey design and harmonisation |
| BE-WA | ENFIN - National Forest Inventories |
| EL | Economic evaluation |
| FR | Moisture content wild land fuels |
| FR | Valorisation geographical Information |
| FR | Forest fires and biodiversity |
| HU | Development of public relations |
| IT | Identification causes, dynamic |
| IT | Assessing fire risk Molise |
| IT | Methodology fire dynamic |
| PL | Assessing fire risk and spread |
| PL | Prevention by road firebelts |
| PT - cont | Forest fire prevention |
| Biosoil soil module | |
| Biosoil biodiversity module |
Studies coordinated by the JRC
Climate change impact and carbon sequestration in European forests
Development of a simple and efficient method field assessment of forest fire severity
Use of National Forest Inventories to downscale European forest diversity spatial information in five test areas, covering different geo-physical and geo botanical conditions
Harmonizing NFI in Europe
Development of harmonised indicators and estimation procedures for forests with protective functions against natural hazards in the alpine space
Linking and harmonizing the forests spatial patterns analyses at European, National and Regional scales for a better characterization of the forests vulnerability and resilience
Elaboration of a field guide of the forest monitoring in the context of the F Focus Reg. and evaluation of the field sampling schemes
forest.jrc.ec.europa.eu
1The financial analysis of the scheme has been done in March 2010, considering the results of the French financial audit for the 2003-2004 national programme. It has to be considered that further audits may be undertaken at any time and up to five years after the final payments of the EU contribution to the national programmes.
2Key figures taken from the Green paper on forest protection and information SWD: SEC (2010) 163
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