- Dataset Availability
- 2000-01-01T01:00:00Z–2019-12-31T16:45:00Z
- Dataset Provider
- Geography Department, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Tags
Description
European primary forest data harmonizes 48 different, mostly field-based datasets of primary forests, and contains 18,411 individual patches (41.1 Mha) spread across 33 countries. It includes includes mainly old-growth, late-successional forests, but also some early seral stages and young forests that originated after natural disturbances and natural regeneration, without subsequent management.
For more information, including a complete list of authors and their affiliations, please see the dataset documentation This dataset is a point-based, where each point represents the approximate center of a primary forest.
Table Schema
Table Schema
Biogeographical region is defined by the European Environmental Agency, one of: Alpine, Arctic, Atlantic, Black Sea, Boreal, Continental, Macaronesia, Mediterranean, Pannonian, or Steppic.
Contact person
Species (latin name) of the dominant tree species of the overstorey
Species (latin name) of the second dominant tree species of the overstorey (if any)
Species (latin name) of the third dominant tree species of the overstorey (if any)
Name of the forest stand (if applicable, otherwise can be name of the wider area)
Actual share of the polygon covered by forest, assuming that primary forests in high naturalness classes, and having a large extent, may encompass land temporarily or permanently not covered by forest.
Main forest type according to the forest categories defined by the European Environmental Agency, based on the map of Potential Vegetation type for Europe. Possible values:
- 1: Boreal
- 2: Hemiboreal-nemoral
- 3: Alpine coniferous
- 4: Acidophilus oak-birch
- 5: Mesophytic deciduous
- 6: Lowland beech
- 7: Montane beech
- 8: Thermophilus deciduous
- 9: Broadleaved evergreen
- 10: Coniferous Mediterranean
- 11: Mire and swamp
- 12: Floodplain
- 13: Non-riverine Alder-birch-aspen
Second main forest type according to the forest categories defined by the European Environmental Agency, based on the map of Potential Vegetation types for Europe
ID of the data set
LAST_DISTURBANCE1_TYPE, type of the last disturbance event. Possible values:
- 1: Fire
- 2: Windthrow
- 3: Flood
- 4: Landslide Avalanche
- 5: Logging/harvesting
- 6: Diseases/insect outbreak
- 7: OTHER natural
- 8: OTHER anthropogenic
LAST_DISTURBANCE1_YEAR, year when disturbance event 1 happened
LAST_DISTURBANCE1_INTENSITY, intensity of disturbance event 1. Possible values:
- 1: Light (<20% of the stand disturbed)
- 2: Moderate (20-70% of the stand disturbed)
- 3: Stand replacing (>70% of the stand disturbed)
LAST_DISTURBANCE2_TYPE, type of the penultimate disturbance event Possible values:
- 1: Fire
- 2: Windthrow
- 3: Flood
- 4: Landslide Avalanche
- 5: Logging/harvesting
- 6: Diseases/insect outbreak
- 7: OTHER natural
- 8: OTHER anthropogenic
LAST_DISTURBANCE2_YEAR, year when disturbance event 2 happened
LAST_DISTURBANCE2_INTENSITY, intensity of disturbance event 2. Possible values:
- 1: Light (<20% of the stand disturbed)
- 2: Moderate (20-70% of the stand disturbed)
- 3: Stand replacing (>70% of the stand disturbed)
Municipality, Protected Area, or Region in which the primary forest remnant is located
Naturalness level of the primary forest remnant: Possible values:
- 10: n10 - Primeval Forest
- 9: n9 - Virgin Forest
- 8: n8 - Frontier Forest
- 7: n7 - Near-virgin Forest
- 6: n6 - Old-growth Forest
- 5: n5 - Long Untouched Forest
- 0: UNKNOWN
Optional additional remarks to the forest points/polygon
Object ID
Legal protection status of the forest stand as derived from the World Database of Protected. The original IUCN classification was simplified to three classes:
- Strictly protected (IUCN category I);
- Protected (IUCN categories II-VI + not classified);
- Not protected.
In case more updated/precise information was available from our data contributors, these were given priority. Possible values:
- 0: Not protected
- 1: Protected
- 2: Strictly protected
Any relevant sources of information describing the forest remnant (including journal articles, local reports and websites)
Directly attributable source/ownership attribution of the forest remnant data
Threat (if any) that is most likely to endanger the primary forest remnant. Possible values:
- 1: Plantation development
- 2: Anthropogenic Fires
- 3: Tourism/recreation
- 4: Infrastructure development (including touristic)
- 5: Mismanagement
- 6: Illegal logging
- 7: Timber and fuelwood extraction
- 8: Non-Timber Forest Products extraction
- 9: Urbanization and housing construction
- 10: Climate change
- 11: Biodiversity loss
Threat (if any) that is most likely to endanger the primary forest remnant.
Data availability
The total extent of the primary forest patch in hectares. This field is only relevant when a polygon feature IS NOT available for the forest patch.
The order of magnitude of the extent of a primary forest remnant patch. This field is only relevant when a polygon feature IS NOT available for the forest patch and no precise measurement of the total extent of the forest remnant is available. Possible values:
- 1: 1-10 ha
- 2: 11-100 ha
- 3: 101-1000 ha
- 4: >1001 ha
Publication
Terms of Use
Terms of Use
European primary forest datasets are provided under the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows for most commmercial, noncommercial, and academic uses. See provider terms of use .
Explore with Earth Engine
Code Editor (JavaScript)
var dataset = ee . FeatureCollection ( 'HU_BERLIN/EPFD/V2/points' ); Map . setCenter ( 13.64 , 50.11 , 4 ); var styleParams = { fillColor : '0F7209' , color : '000000' , width : 1.0 , }; dataset = dataset . style ( styleParams ); Map . addLayer ( dataset , {}, 'European Primary Forest Points' );
