EFDM-geo : a spatially-explicit pan-European application of the European Forestry Dynamics Model

EFDM-geo is a spatially-explicit forest growth modelling system that was developed to support the assessment of wood availability in Europe for the forest-based sector and the bioeconomy. This document describes EFDM-geo as it was implemented for seamless pan-European modelling, allowing for continental-wide scenario runs and the integration of demand for harvest levels of timber assortments. The model contains a forest growth component that simulates natural growth for different forest types in Europe. It also simulates management activities that affect the natural growth process. Three activities: harvesting, thinning and no management, are configured to respond according to the demand for wood for material and energy uses. The national-level data on market demand is downscaled to NUTS 1 regional level. At this level, bio-geo-climatic variables such as the forest type (species, age and volume classes), topography and road accessibility are included in the computation of which forest stands are more likely to be subject to some management activity. As the simulation progresses in time, the forest type evolves according to the predefined rules governing growth. As a recursive model, the forest composition can be estimated at any point in time during the simulation for any individual NUTS 1 region in Europe or for the whole EU territory. The implementation of the model and the modelling environment are available as open source software.