FOREST-LED

For this reason, it is essential to monitor the processes related to forest loss (forest degradation and deforestation) and forest expansion (afforestation, reforestation and forest development) and quantify their contribution to carbon stocks.

The project also seeks to identify the effectiveness of past multifunctional forest management practices to improve forest health and provide comprehensive knowledge to forest managers to implement more effective forest treatments.

Objectives

The specific objectives are as follows:

• To develop a clear framework with definitions, indicators and useful methods to quantify the processes of forest loss (degradation and deforestation) and forest expansion (afforestation, reforestation and forest development) in Spain.
• To quantify and map the areas of forest loss caused by forest degradation or deforestation in Spain during the last 30 years at different spatial and temporal scales, unraveling the driving forces of these changes and determining the impacts of forest loss on carbon stocks.
• To quantify and map the areas of forest expansion (afforestation, reforestation and forest development) in Spain during the last 30 years at different spatial and temporal scales, revealing the driving forces of the changes and determining their impacts on carbon absorption.
• Analyze whether forest development can be a way to reduce the risk of forest loss and measure the effectiveness of past forest management practices as a multifunctional tool to reduce the risk of extreme events and promote forest development.

Proyecto PID2023-152828OB-I00 financiado por MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 y por FEDER, UE