AFFOREST Afforestation management in north-western Europe - influence on nitrogen leaching, groundwater recharge, and carbon sequestration
Country: EU Projects
Start Date:   30/4/2000         Duration: 48 months         Project Type: RTD
Contract Number: EVK1-CT-1999-00020
Organisation Type:  EC Project
Topics: 
Diffuse pollution-->Diffuse pollution overview
Groundwater protection-->Groundwater protection overview
Soil-->Soil Overview
Water resources and their management -->Water resources and their management Overview
Project objectives: 
The overall aim of AFFOREST is to elaborate guidelines for afforestation of former agricultural land in north-western Europe to account for a number of environmental 
impact categories: atmospheric deposition, the leaching of nitrate, groundwater recharge, and carbon sequestration. The guidelines will be based on i) 
exploitation of existing research data complemented by data to be collected on issues where the present scientific knowledge is insufficient, ii) development 
and use  of process-based models and (iii) a GIS-based system for scenario-analysis and decision support (AFFOREST-DSS). The objective of the guidelines 
and AFFOREST-DSS is to support end-users like landscape planners (on a local level) and policy makers (on a national/regional level) scheming future afforestation 
projects in an environmentally sound way.
Project Summary: 
AFFOREST is an interdisciplinary, collaborative project which focuses on production of guidelines for an optimal afforestation strategy. The guidelines 
will be based on GIS decision  support system (called AFFOREST-DSS) with an intelligent user interface. The decision system will allow for an assessment and 
evaluation of afforestation scenarios and  management options in respect to leaching of nitrate, groundwater recharge, and carbon sequestration. Both existing 
and new data on the C and N sequestration, N deposition, and N  leaching in afforestated systems, the use of dynamic process-based models, and a geo-referenced 
database will form the basis for AFFOREST-DSS tool. The guidelines and the  AFFOREST-DSS will be applicable at two scale levels, i.e. the national policy level 
(for policy makers) and the local afforestation planning and design level (for forest and landscape  planners).
Achieved Objectives: 
The main outcome of AFFOREST has been a spatial Decision Support System (AFFOREST-sDSS), which should guide and assist in the planning and design of new forests 
on former arable land and 'Guidelines for afforestation'. A tutorial for use of the AFFOREST-sDSS has been written as well.    
Furthermore a Guideline for planning afforestation on previously managed   
arable land with special regard to water recharge, nitrate leaching,   
carbon sequestration, and diversity of understory vegetation is also available.
Product Descriptions: 
The main goals of Afforest were to    
quantify the long-time influence of afforestation on nitrogen leaching, groundwater recharge, and carbon sequestration performing measurements in 
a series of chronosequence studies    
To elaborate guidelines for the best possible afforestation of former agricultural lands to account for the environmental impact categories as mentioned 
   
To guide and assist decision makers and foresters in their planning and design of new forests    
The available products are:   
-Guidelines for afforestation   
-Decision support system (AFFOREST-sDSS)   
-Tutorial for AFFOREST-sDSS   
-Litterature review on afforestation on arable land   
-Full project description
Additional Information:
Project Resources:

Guidelines for afforestation

Afforest Decision Support System

Afforestation management in north-western Europe - influence on nitrogen leaching, groundwater recharge, and carbon sequestration (AFFOREST): Full Project Description

Tutorial for AFFOREST spatial Decision Support System - AFFOREST-sDSS

Literature review for AFFOREST: Afforestation on arable land
Weblink:
http://www.fsl.dk/afforest/
Funding Programme(s): 
EC Framework Programme 5
Link to Organisations:
Submitted by: EUGRIS Team Prof Paul Bardos  Who does what?  03/07/2003 17:48:00
Updated by: EUGRIS Team Professor Paul Bardos  Who does what?  28/09/2006 21:05:00