Level II

Forest environmental monitoring is part of ICP Forests and is coordinated at the Thünen Institute of Forest Ecosystems in Eberswalde. At regular meetings of the federal-state working groups, sampling instructions for intensive forest environmental monitoring (Level II) are developed and coordinated.

The surveys in Brandenburg and Berlin are coordinated and carried out by the Landeskompetenzzentrum Forst Eberswalde. Colleagues from the Brandenburg State Forestry Agency and the Berlin State Forestry Agency provide support for weekly sampling and forestry work. External forestry service companies also assist with the work.

The permanent observation sites were originally selected in commercial forests with varying levels of nitrogen deposition and pollutant exposure and established in middle-aged pure stands. Today, these areas are undergoing a transition to older stands with some natural regeneration and understory. The focus today is on monitoring the consequences of climate change, the physiological responses of individual trees, and the development of stand structures.