Thematic Report on Forest Ecosystems in Belgium

 

Decision IV/7 on Forest Biological Diversity

1. What is the relative priority afforded to implementation of this decision by your country?

a) High X (Fl, Wa) 
b) Medium X (Bxl) 
c) Low

Comments on question 1 (priority afforded to implementation)

None.

 

2. To what extent are the resources available adequate for meeting the obligations and recommendations made?

a) Good 
b) Adequate X 
c) Limiting 
d) Severely limiting X (Bxl)

Comments on question 2 (availability of resources)

None.

 

3. Has your country assessed the status and trends of its forest biological diversity and identified options for its conservation and sustainable use? (Decision IV/7, paragraph 12)

a) no
b) assessment underway (please give details below) X (Wa, Bxl)
c) assessment completed (please give details below) X (Fl)
d) not relevant

Comments on question 3 (status and trends)

The latest official forest assessment at the national level dates back to 1980 and only concerns publicly owned forests. Since then, regional forest inventories have been carried out on a periodical basis and include information on the status and trends of forest biological diversity.

Flanders:
The Flemish Region started its first permanent inventory in 1997. This forest inventory relies upon systematic sampling according to a 1 km by 0,5 km grid for forest data, a 1 km by 1 km grid for vegetation data and a 2 km by 2 km grid for soil data. These grids match the 4 km by 4 km grid of the Flemish part of the 'European Forest Condition Survey'. The first report of the permanent inventory was published in 2001 (ref. #2). It contains a detailed phyto-sociological description and characterisation of the forest vegetation types in Flanders.

For more information, see Belgium's Voluntary Report to UNFF-2:
· § 2.1.5.1.3 - The Flemish Forest Inventory as the basis for a MAR-concept based on Criteria & Indicators for sustainable forest management.

Very general and broad options for conservation and sustainable use of forest biological diversity were taken when the Flemish Government Act on Forests (Bosdecreet, 1990) was developed and modified (e.g. importance of management plans, general protection measures). The recent "Nature Report 2001" contains a chapter on state and evolution of nature values of forests in Flanders (ref. #9). See also question 5.

Wallonia:
A first exhaustive forest assessment of Walloon forests was carried out between 1979 and 1983 and provided information on species composition, areas and volumes. The "Permanent Forest Inventory of Wallonia" was started in 1994 and was institutionalised by decree in 1995. It relies upon systematic sampling according to a 1 km by 0,5 km grid. One-tenth of this grid is covered each year, which means that the total grid is covered over a ten-year period. The 10% of plots inventoried each year are distributed regularly over the Walloon territory.

The objectives of the Walloon inventory were widened in 1997, in order to include the assessment of forest biodiversity and sustainable management practices. The new parameters are based on criteria and indicators of Resolution L2 of the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe. They include: the area of natural and semi-natural forests, areas of specially managed forests, areas of mixed forest stands with 2-3 species, proportion of naturally regenerated stands (ref. # 11).

For more information, see Belgium's Voluntary Report to UNFF-2:
· § 3.1.4. - Wallonia. Criteria and indicators for sustainable management of forests.

Wallonia produced an assessment of the management of its forests in response of its commitment to the implementation of Helsinki and Lisbon resolutions (ref. #10). The first part of the report describes the main characteristics of forests, as well as the legal and institutional framework of forest policy in Wallonia. The second part of the report illustrates forest management as it is carried out in Wallonia, using criteria and indicators determined by the Helsinki resolutions. Objectives and targets for sustainable forest management are identified both for publicly- and privately-owned forests. See also question 5.

Brussels:
A forest inventory is carried out every year in the Brussels Capital Region.

Forest biodiversity is slowly but increasingly being taken into account in the forest management plans, which have for objective sustainable forest management as accepted by Belgium following the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe in Helsinki in 1993.

Summarized information on forest resources in Belgium:
The distribution of forests in Belgium is shown in Table 1. Most of the forest area is located in the Walloon Region. The State, regions and provinces own 13% of the forests, 32% belongs to municipalities, 2% to public establishments and 53% to private individuals. Privately owned forests in Belgium are characterized by their fragmentary nature and are divided among some 120,000 owners (i.e. on average 2.7 ha per owner).

Broadleaved species account for about half the forest area, the main species being oaks (Quercus robur, Q. petraea) and beech (Fagus sylvatica). The main coniferous species are Norway spruce (Picea abies), Scots and Black pine (Pinus sylvestris, P. nigra), larch (Larix decidua) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menzeisii). Norway spruce plantations account for about 75% of conifer species in Wallonia, while Scots Pine is the most frequent conifer species in Flanders (about 65%).

Table 1: Forest cover in Belgium.

	Area (km˛)	Forest area (km˛)	% of the area	% of the forest area
Flemish region	13 521	1 352	9.9	19.8
Walloon region	16 845	5 448	32.3	79.9
Brussels region	162	20	12.3	0.3
Belgium	30 528	6 820	22.3	100.0

 

If a developing country Party or a Party with economy in transition -
4. Has your country requested assistance through the financial mechanism for projects that promote the implementation of the focused work programme on forest biological diversity? (Decision IV/7, paragraph 7)

a) no Not relevant
b) yes (please give details below)

Comments on question 4 (developing countries and economies in transition)

Not relevant.

 

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