The EFISCEN inventory database contains forest inventory data that can be used to initialise the EFISCEN model. Input data are available for 32 European countries: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and United Kingdom.
The input data for these countries have been derived from their national forest inventories. For a number of countries the model relies on the database of the IIASA Forest Study (Nilsson, S., O. Sallnäs and P. Duinker. 1992. A report on the IIASA forest study: Future forest resources of Western and Eastern Europe, The Parthenon Publishing Group, UK).
This public EFISCEN inventory database does not contain the most recent forest inventory data available for each country. Some countries publish forest inventory results on national websites, which can be found here.
For whom is this database?
The EFISCEN Inventory database can be used by anyone who seeks information on Europe's forests and its resources. The design of the database is aimed at providing forest resource information to the modeller, policy and decision makers, researchers and the general public.
What information does the database contain?
The bases of the EFISCEN Inventory database are the individual national forest inventories of 32 European countries. Each country lists different so called "forest types". In this context a forest type is "the forest that can be distinguished according to region, owner class, structure, site class and tree species". The level of detail between different countries may vary, as not all have presented their information at all possible levels (e.g. region, owner class, tree species, etc.). For each forest type and age class, the forest area, the total and mean volume, the total annual increment and the current annual increment may be retrieved from the EFISCEN Inventory database. Such data are available for all countries which have an even-aged forest structure.
How to use the database
When you use the database for the first time, you have to register. Within a few minutes you will get a username and password. Registration is free and is only intended to monitor the use of the database. After logging in, you can choose the country you are interested in from a drop-down list. After pressing the button 'Search' you will get an overview of the available options for regions, ownership classes, site classes and tree species. You have to choose one option from each of these categories, or choose all options within the category. Below the selection screen is a screen with additional information. Here you will find the contact person for the data, definitions, a map and some more additional information. After clicking the “Search” button again, you will get the requested data. These data can also be downloaded as a CSV file.
Availability of the data
The data available through this database is freely accessible to all registered users. If you want more detailed information, you may directly consult the national contact person or institute given in the country background information.
How to refer to the data/copyrights
When using any data obtained from the EFISCEN Inventory database, reference should be made both to the original source and the EFISCEN Inventory database. You will find references to the original sources in the individual country information screen. The EFISCEN Inventory database itself can be referred to as:
Schelhaas, M.J., Varis, S., Schuck, A. and Nabuurs, G.J., 2006, EFISCEN Inventory Database, European Forest Institute, Joensuu, Finland, http://www.efi.int/portal/virtual_library/databases/efiscen/
EFI has obtained permission to publish the data from the national contact persons and institutes. The copyright of the data included in the EFISCEN Inventory database remains with the responsible organisations.