D2.1 – Pilot above ground dataset

Compilation of readily available pre-processed aboveground dataset and identification of data gaps

The WILDCARD project investigates the effects of rewilding in European forests (‘proforestation’) and on agricultural lands (‘afforestation’) on carbon (C) sequestration and biodiversity. In Work Package 2 (WP2), this project specifically examines the effects of proforestation, utilizing a range of existing long-term dendrometric datasets across Europe. These datasets, provided initially by WILDCARD project partners at this pilot stage and later supplemented by external partners, require harmonization to enable consistent analyses across ecological gradients and temporal scales. Additionally, the representativeness of the available datasets must to be evaluated to ensure the validity and robustness of WP2’s findings. 

Deliverable’s objectives 

• Develop a unified database structure to integrate diverse dendrometric datasets. 

• Provide a pilot dataset on aboveground forest dynamics, serving as a foundation for broader analyses of C and biodiversity trajectories. 

• Identify and quantify gaps in the available data concerning ecologically relevant patterns in European forests, including length of Time Since Abandonment (TSA) and coverage of primeval forests, across both ecological and temporal gradients.

Jan Holík, Yannek Käber, Elisabeth Klingberg, Kamil Král, Martin Krůček, Peter Meyer, Tomáš Přívětivý, Lucia Seebach, Jan Zálešák (2024). D2.1. - Pilot Aboveground Dataset and identification of gaps. Horizon Europe Project No. 101081177, European Commission