The document summarizes the INFORM project, which established a knowledge base for assessing and monitoring sustainable forest management in Greece. The project created spatial analysis tools, established a National Forest Governance Council to represent stakeholders, and developed databases on indicators related to forest area, growth, biodiversity, management, and socioeconomics. Impact evaluation models were used to analyze policy options and their environmental, socioeconomic, and institutional effects to support sustainable forest governance decisions.

1. EU Forest Directors Informal Meeting, 7 - 8 May 2014, Athens, Greece
Sustainable forest management assessment and
monitoring in Greece: A spatial knowledge-base
foundation (INFORM-LIFE+ project)
Vassiliki Kazana & Angelos Kazaklis

2. EU Forest Directors Informal Meeting, 7 - 8 May 2014, Athens, Greece
http://www.inform-life.gr
INFORM- Building a structured, indicator based
knowledge system for sustainable forest policy
and management
Coordination:
Vassiliki Kazana
Professor
Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Institute
of Technology
Main Project team:
Angelos Kazaklis
Christos Stamatiou
Paraskevi Koutsona
Anastasia Boutsimea
Dimitrios Raptis
George Apostolidis

3. PROJECT LOCATION:
Entire country (National/regional level)
Kato Nevrokopi Dramas/ Thassos (local level)
BUDGET INFO:
Total amount: 1,139,495 €
% EC Co-funding: 567,247 €
(= 50 % of total eligible budget)
COORDINATING BENEFICIARY:
Eastern Macedonia & Thrace Institute of Technology, Department of
Forestry & Natural Environment Management at Drama
CO- FINANCIER:
Hellenic Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, Special
Secretariat for Forestry, General Directorate for Development and
Protection of Forest and Natural Environment
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

4. MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE INFORM PROJECT
Establish a knowledge base for national forest
policy development and implementation on
SFM assessment and monitoring in Greece,
compatible with EU Initiatives & legislation
including estimations of the Pan-European
Criteria and Indicators (C&I).
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

5. Spatial Analysis (Adaptation of MEDMONT Impact evaluation system- 4 spatial
scales: landscape region, landscape system, landscape type and ecotope, 2 levels
of aggregation + capability/ impact models for forestry, rangelands, recreation,
water/soil, wildlife)
Set up and function of a National Forest Governance Council (NFGC)
Development of databases
Integration of SFM assessment processes with decision support
Knowledge base on SFM
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

6. Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

7. National Forest Governance Council (NFGC)
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574
National Forest
Governance Council
A forest governance structure to represent
scientific and practical knowledge on
sustainable forest policy and management
assessment at national level.
• The National Forest Governance Council consists of:
A moderating team
Forest District top-level officers
Opinion influencing stakeholders
Scientist Experts of different expertise

8. Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574
 SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threat
 Policy options for sustainable forest management
 Identification and prioritization of processes/driving forces/functions for
sustainable forest management
 Development of data bases for SFM
 Impact evaluation of policy options for SFM (incl. weighting)
NFGC operation

9. Internal Factors
Strengths Weaknesses
1. Technical wood production
2. Firewood production
3. Pulp wood production
4. Forage production
5. Mammalian game species
6. Avian game species
7. Water quality of watersheds
8. Sightseeing of natural and cultural attractions (mountains, natural
parks, aesthetic forests, caves, etc)
9. Income generation for the local population of the mountain area
10. Employment of local population in forest works
11. Forest contribution to GDP
12. Infrastructure
13. Staff expertise
14. Forest cadastre
15. Wild flora biodiversity
16. Wild fauna biodiversity
17. Groundwater and Spring Water
18. Water fauna biodiversity
1. Degraded wood stock
2. Personnel shortage
3. Lack of funds for investments
4. Lack of funds for management plan studies
5. Forest land tenure problems
6. Bureaucracy
7. Forest legislation
8. Lack of tools for sustainable forest management assessment and
integration in forest management plans
9. Exploitation system of public forests
10. Lack of know-how (new technologies and tools for sustainable forest
management)
11. Outdated forest management plan standards
12. Difficulties to enforce the law
13. Resistance to change
Opportunities Threats
1. Updated forest management plan standards
2. Expansion of forest lands
3. Wood stock improvement
4. Production of non-wood products
5. Game improvement
6. Rangelands improvement
7. Forest recreation/ecotourism development
8. Forest income improvement (income from production of non-wood
products e.g. honey, mushrooms, fruits, herbs, etc.)
9. Support of mountainous population employment
10. Income support of mountainous population
11. Participation in projects
12. Environmental awareness on sustainable forest management issues
13. Capacity building
14. Biodiversity conservation/protection
15. Natural disasters prevention
16. Infrastructure
17. Forest cadastre
18. Training staff in new technologies for sustainable forest
management
1. Wildfires
2. Flooding
3. Diseases
4. Insects
5. Climate change
6. Landslides
7. Endangered plant species
8. Endangered mammalian species
9. Endangered avian species
10. Endangered water wild fauna
11. Illegal logging
12. Illegal hunting
13. Forest land encroachment
14. Mining activities
15. Land use change
External Factors

10. Forestry
Main processes/functions at the landscape system: Igneous rocks 0-
300m, Region of Anatoliki Makedonia & Thraki
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1
2
3
4
5
6
78
9
10
11
12
13
FOR1 Technical wood production
FOR2 Firewood production
FOR3 Pulp wood production
FOR4 Production of non-wood products
(fruits, honey, mushrooms, etc.)
FOR5 Seed production (collection or
nurseries)
FOR6 Conservation of soil/moisture
FOR7 Conservation of landscape
aesthetic value
FOR8 Conservation of water quality
FOR9 Protection of air quality
FOR10 Prevention of soil erosion
FOR11 Prevention of catastrophic floods
FOR12 Prevention of wildfires
FOR13 Prevention of landslides

11. http://www.inform-life.gr/db/en/
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

12. Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

13. Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

14. Indicator 1.1 Forest area
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

15. Indicator 1.2 Growing stock
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

16. Indicator 1.3 Age structure and/or diameter distribution
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

17. Indicator 1.4 Carbon stock
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

18. Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

19. Indicator 2.2 Soil condition
Chemical soil properties (pH, CEC, C/N, organic C, base saturation) on forest and other wooded
land related to soil acidity and eutrophication, classified by main soil types
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

20. Indicator 2.2 Soil condition
Chemical soil properties (pH, CEC, C/N, organic C, base saturation) on forest and other wooded
land related to soil acidity and eutrophication, classified by main soil types
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

21. Indicator 2.4 Forest damage
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

22. Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

23. Indicator 3.1 Increment and fellings
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

24. Indicator 3.2 Roundwood
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

25. Indicator 3.3 Non-wood goods
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

26. Indicator 3.3 Non-wood goods
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

27. Indicator 3.3 Non-wood goods
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

28. Indicator 3.5 Forests under management plans
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

29. Indicator 3.5 Forests under management plans
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

30. Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

31. Indicator 4.2 Regeneration
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

32. Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574
Indicator 4.8 Threatened forest species
Number of threatened forest species, classified according to IUCN Red List categories in relation to
total number of forest species

33. Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574
Indicator 4.9 Threatened forest species
Area of forest and other wooded land protected to conserve biodiversity, landscapes and
specific natural elements, according to MCPFE Assessment Guidelines

34. Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

35. Indicator 6.1 Forest holdings
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

36. Indicator 6.5 Forest sector workforce
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

37. Indicator 6.5 Forest sector workforce
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

38. Indicator 6.9 Energy from wood resources
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

39. Indicator 6.9 Energy from wood resources
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

40. Indicator 6.10 Accessibility for recreation
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

41. Policy option1 Policy option2 Policy optionn
Sustainable forest management
performance index
Environmental impact
performance indicator
(ENV)
Socio-economic impact
performance indicator (SE)
Institutional impact
performance indicator
(INS)
ENV1 ENV2 ENVk SE1 SE2 SEl INS1 INS2 INSm
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 4

42.  Better understanding of the spatial dimension for SFM assessment &
monitoring
Better understanding of the processes that are important and should be
addressed at any area of concern and their impact evaluation assessment
Better understanding of functioning Governance Structures (NFGC)
Develop synergies with other countries/regions to identify spatial patterns of
processes, create networks of governance structures and adapt/share impact
assessment tools
Link SFM assessment processes with decision support
Best practices to share on SFM
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574

43. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
Project: INFORM
LIFE 08 ENV/ GR/ 000574