- Review Article
- Open access
- Published:
Quality assurance (QA) in international forest monitoring programmes: activity, problems and perspectives from East Asia and Europe
L’assurance qualité (AQ) dans les programmes de surveillance des forêts : activités, problèmes et perspectives pour l’Asie de l’Est et l’Europe
Annals of Forest Science volume 66, page 403 (2009)
Abstract
-
• The quality of monitoring is defined by its ability to provide data that (i) allow estimates of the status of the target resource with defined precision level, (ii) permit change detection with defined power, and (iii) are comparable through space and time. To achieve these requirements a Quality Assurance (QA) perspective is essential.
-
• To what extent QA was considered and data quality achieved in international forest monitoring programmes in East Asia and Europe? What is missing?
-
• Past and present QA activity in forest monitoring in East Asia and Europe revealed that most attention was given to evaluate and promote comparability of measurements, with special emphasis on analytical chemistry. Much less attention was given to field sampling and to the overall monitoring design. QA approaches were unbalanced among the various investigations, and several problems with data comparability remained over years.
-
• Despite considerable work on data quality control, parts of the monitoring process are still poorly covered by QA and revealed weaknesses in design and implementation. More comprehensive, formal and stringent QA procedures are necessary in international monitoring initiatives. Steps currently being undertaken for a more comprehensive QA approach are presented.
Résumé
-
• La qualité de la surveillance est définie par sa capacité à fournir des données qui (i) permettent des estimations de l’état de la ressource cible, définie à un niveau de précision, (ii) permettent la détection des changements de puissance définie et (iii) sont comparables à travers l’espace et le temps. Pour satisfaire à ces exigences d’assurance qualité (QA) la perspective est essentielle.
-
• Dans quelle mesure l’assurance qualité a été examinée de même que la qualité des données obtenues dans les programmes internationaux de surveillance des forêts en Asie de l’Est et l’Europe? Qu’est-ce qui manque?
-
• L’activité passée et présente dans l’assurance qualité de surveillance des forêts en Asie de l’Est et Europe a révélé que la plus grande attention a consisté à évaluer et promouvoir la comparabilité des mesures, avec un accent particulier sur la chimie analytique. Beaucoup moins d’attention a été accordée à l’échantillonnage sur le terrain et au modèle de surveillance globale. Les approches de QA ont été déséquilibrées entre les différentes enquêtes, et plusieurs problèmes avec la comparabilité des données sont restés au fil des années.
-
• Malgré un travail considérable sur la qualité des données de contrôle, des parties du processus de suivi sont encore mal couvertes par l’assurance qualité et des lacunes de conception et de mise en œuvre ont été révélées. Des procédures d’assurance qualité plus complètes, structurées et rigoureuses sont nécessaires dans les initiatives internationales de surveillance. Les étapes actuellement entreprises pour une approche plus globale d’assurance qualité sont présentées.
References
Bargagli R., 1998. Trace elements in terrestrial plants. AN ecophysiological approach to biomonitoring and biorecovery, Springer, Berlin, 324 p.
Bleeker A., Draaijers G.P.J., Bleeker A., van der Veen D., Erisman J.W., Moöls H., Fonteijn P., and Geusebroek M., 2003. Field intercomparison of throughfall and stemflow measurements performed within the framework of the Pan-European intensive monitoring program of EU/ICP Forests. Environ. Pollut. 125: 123–138.
Cline S.P. and Burkman W.G., 1989. The role of quality assurance in ecological programs. In: Bucher J.B. and Bucher-Wallin I. (Eds.), Air pollution and forest decline, Proc. 14th Int. Meeting for specialists on air pollution effects on forest ecosystems, IUFRO P2.05, Interlaken, Switzerland, Birmensdorf, pp. 361–365.
Cochran W.G., 1977. Sampling techniques, Third edition, John Whiley & Sons, New York, NY, USA.
Cools N., Mikkelsen J.H., and De Vos B., 2007. Quality assurance and quality control in forest soil analysis: 5th FSCC interlaboratory comparison, Forest soil co-ordinating centre/INBO, Geraardsbergen, 63 p.
Cozzi A., Ferretti M., and Lorenz M., 2002. Quality assurance for crown condition assessment in Europe. Federal research centre for forestry and forest products-LINNÆA ambiente Srl, 111 p.
Di Stefano J., 2003. How much power is enough? Against the development of an arbitrary convention for statistical power calculations. Funct. Ecol. 17: 707–709.
Dobbertin M., Landmann G., Pierrat J.C., and Müller-Edzards C., 1997. Quality of crown condition data. In: C. Müller-Edzards, W. De Vries, and J.W. Erisman (eds), Ten years of monitoring forest condition in Europe. Studies on temporal development, spatial distribution and impacts of natural and anthropogenic stress factors. Technical background report. Geneva and Brussels, United nations economic commission for Europe/European commission, pp. 7–22.
Draaijers G.P.J., Bleeker A., van der Veen D., Erisman J.W., Mols J., Fonteijn P., and en Geusebroek M., 2001. Field intercomparison of throughfall, stemflow and precipitation measurements performed within the framework of the Pan European intensive monitoring program of EU/ICP forests (TNO report R 2001/140) TNOMEP, Apeldoorn.
EANET (2000). QA/QC for Soil and vegetation monitoring in East Asia. Acid Deposition and Oxidant Research Center, Niigata, Japan.
EANET publications, acid deposition monitoring network in East Asia. http://www.eanet.cc/product.html
EANET (2008). Periodic report on the state of acid deposition in East Asia. Acid deposition and oxidant research center, Niigata, Japan.
EANET publications, Acid deposition monitoring network in East Asia. http://www.eanet.cc/product.html
Elzinga C.L., Salzer D.W., Willoughby J.W., and Gibbs J.P., 2001. Monitoring plant and animal population. Blackwell science, Malden, Massachussets, USA, 337 p.
EPA, 2002. Guidance for quality assurance project plans, EPA QA/G-5, EPA/240/R-02/009, United States environmental protection agency, Washington, 111 p (www.epa.gov/quality/qs-docs/g5-final.pdf).
Erisman J.W., Möls J., Fonteijn P., Geusebroek M., Draaijers G.P.J., Bleeker A., and van der Veen D., 2003. Field intercomparison of precipitation measurements performed within the framework of the Pan-European Intensive monitoring program of EU/ICP forests, Environ. Pollut. 125: 139–155.
Ferretti M. (Ed.), 2009. Quality assurance in ecological monitoring. J. Environ. Monit. 11: 726–729.
Ferretti M., 2004. Forest health diagnosis, monitoring and evaluation. In: Burley J., Evans J., and Youngquist J. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of forest sciences, Elsevier science, London: 285–299.
Ferretti M., 1997. Forest health assessment and monitoring. Issues for consideration. Environ. Monit. Assess. 48: 45–72.
Ferretti M. and Mues V., 2002. New design of international crosscalibration courses of ICP forests and the EU scheme. Federal research centre for forestry and forest products (BFH)-LINNÆA ambiente Srl, 21 p.
Field S.A., Tyre A.J., Jonzén N., Rhodes J.R., and Possingham H.P., 2004. Minimizing the cost of environmental decision by optimizing statistical thresholds. Ecol. Lett. 7: 669–675.
Fürst A., 2008. 10th needle/leaf interlaboratory comparison test 2007/2008, Forest foliar coordinating centre/BFW, Vienna, 110 p.
Gasparini P., Bertani R., De Natale F., Di Como L., and Pompei E., 2009. Quality control procedures in the Italian national forest inventory. J. Environ. Monit. 11: 761–768.
Gutachterausschuss Forstliche Analytik (Herausgeber), 2005. Handbuch forstliche analytik (http://www.bmelv.de/cln_044/ nn_753670/DE/06-Forstwirtschaft/Bodenzustandserhebung/ HandbuchForstlicheAnalytik.html).
Houston T.J., Durrant D.W., and Benham S.E., 2002. Sampling in a variable environment: selection of representative positions of throughfall collectors for volume and chemistry under three tree species in the UK. For. Ecol. Manage. 158: 1–8.
Innes J.L., 1988. Forest health surveys: problems in assessing observer objectivity. Can. J. For. Res. 18: 560–565.
Innes J.L., 1993. Forest health: its assessment and status. Commonwealth agricultural bureau, Wallingford, 677 p.
Innes J.L., Landmann G., and Mettendorf B., 1993. Consistency of observation of forest tree defoliation in three european countries. Environ. Monit. Assess. 25: 29–40.
Innes J.L., Landmann G., and Mettendorf B., 1993. Consistency of observation of forest tree defoliation in three European countries, Environ. Monit. Assess. 25: 29–40.
Kaufmann E. and Schwyzer A., 2001. Control survey of the terrestrial inventory. In: Brassel P. and Lischke H. (Eds.), Swiss national forest inventory: methods and models of the second assessment, WSL Swiss federal research institute, Birmensdorf, pp. 114–124.
Kirvan N., Oliver M.A., Moffat A.J., and Morgan G.W., 2005. Sampling the soil in long-term forest plots: the implications of spatial variation. Environ. Monit. Assess. 111: 149–172.
Kitahara F., Mizoue N., and Yoshida S., 2008. submitted. Evaluation of data quality in Japanese forest inventory. Environ. Monit. Assess. DOI: 10.1007/s10661-008-0632-8.
Köhl M., Innes J.L., and Kaufmann E., 1994. Reliability of differing densities of sample grids used for the monitoring of forest condition in Europe., Environ. Monit. Assess. 29: 201–220.
Köhl M., Traub B., and Päivinen R., 2000. Environ. Monit. Assess. 63: 361–380.
König N. and Wolff B. 1993. Abschlussbericht über die Ergebnisse und Konsequenzen der im Rahmen der bundesweiten Bodenzustandserhebung im WALD (BZE) durchgeführten Ringanalysen. Ber. Forsch. Waldökosysteme B 33: 1–33.
Legg C. and Nagy L., 2006. Why most conservation monitoring is, but need not be, a waste of time. J. Environ. Manage. 78: 194–199.
Mapstone B.D.. 1995. Scalable decision rules for environmental impact studies: effects size, Type I, and II errors. Ecol. Appl. 5: 401–410.
Marchetto A., Mosello R., Tartari G., Derome J., Derome K., Sorsi P., König N., Clarke N., Ulrich E., and Kowalska A., 2006. Atmospheric deposition and soil solution working ring test 2005. — Laboratory ring test for deposition and soil solution sample analyses between the countries participating in the ICP Forests level II monitoring programme. Office national des forêts, Département recherche, Fontainebleau, 85 p.
Mizoue N., Dobbertin M., 2003. Detecting differences in crown transparency assessments between countries using the image analysis system CROCO. Environ. Monit. Assess. 89: 179–195.
Mosello R., Derome J., Derome K., Ulrich E., Dahlin T., Marchetto A., and Tartari G., 2002. Atmospheric deposition and soil solution Working Ring Test 2002. — Laboratory ring test for deposition and soil solution sample analyses between the countries participating in the ICP Forests level II monitoring programme, Office national des forêts, Département recherche et développement, Fontainebleau, 69 p.
Mosello R., Bianchi M., Geiss H., Marchetto A., Serrini G., Serrini Lanza G., Tartari G.A., and Muntau H., 1997. AQUACONMedBas Subproject No. 6. Acid rain analysis. Intercomparison 1/96, European commission joint research centre, Ispra, 47 p.
Mosello R., Bianchi M., Brizzio M.C., Geiss H., Leyendecker W., Marchetto A., Serrini G., Serrini Lanza G., Tartari G.A., and Muntau H., 1998. AQUACON-MedBas Subproject No. 6. Acid rain analysis. Intercomparison 1/97, European commission joint research centre, Ispra, 65 p.
Mosello R., Bianchi M., Brizzio M.C., Geiss H., Leyendecker W., Marchetto A., Rembges D., Tartari G.A., and Muntau H., 1999. AQUACON-MedBas Subproject No. 6. Acid rain analysis. Intercomparison 1/98, European commission joint research Centre, Ispra, 81 p.
Mosello R., Bianchi M., Brizzio M.C., Giuliano R., Marchetto A., Rembges D., Tartari G.A., and Muntau H., 2001. Analytical Quality Control and assessment Studies in the Mediterranean Basin. Subproject 5, Freshwater analysis, Intercomparison 1/00. Results of the ICP Forests laboratories. In: Rembges D. and Geiss O. (Eds.), Proceedings of the workshop: Quality assurance and quality control in laboratory performing the deposition analyses of the Pan European programme of intensive monitoring of forest ecosystems in Ispra, EUR 2011. 2 En, European commission joint research centre and ICP forests, Ispra, pp. 36–76.
Mues V., 2006. Results of the international cross-comparison courses 2005, programme co-ordinating centre of ICP Forests, BFH, Hamburg, 37 p. (http://www.icp-forests.org/pdf/ICC2005.pdf).
Network Center for EANET (2008). Report on the inter-laboratory comparison project 2007. Acid deposition and oxidant research center.
Palmer C.J., 1992. The 1992 quality assurance annual report and workplan for the interagency forest health monitoring program. TIP # 92-295. Research triangle Park, NC: U.S. environmental protection agency, Office of research and development.
Parr T.W., Ferretti M., Simpson I.C., Forsius M., and Kovács-Láng E., 2002. Towards a long-term integrated monitoring programme in Europe: Network design in theory and practice. Environ. Monit. Assess. 78: 253–290.
Peterman R.M., 1990. The importance of reporting statistical power: the forest decline and acidic deposition example. Ecology 71: 2024–2027.
Pollard J.E., Westfall J.A., Patterson P.L., Gartner D.L., Hansen M., and Kuegler O., 2006. Forest inventory and analysis national data quality assessment report for 2000 to 2003. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-181. Fort collins, CO: U.S. Department of agriculture, forest service, Rocky mountain research station. 43 p.
Shampine W.J., 1993. Quality assurance and quality control in monitoring programs. Environ. Monit. Assess. 26, 143–151.
Stevens D., 1994. Implementation of a national monitoring program. J. Environ. Manag. 42: 1–29.
Sulkava M., Luyssaert S., Rautio P., Janssens I.A., and Hollmén J., 2007. Modeling the effects of varying data quality on trend detection in environmental monitoring. Ecol. Inform. 2: 167–176.
Task Force on Soil and Vegetation Monitoring of EANET, 2006. Submanual on forest vegetation monitoring in EANET. Acid deposition and oxidant research center, Niigata, Japan.
Thimonier A., 1998: Measurement of atmospheric deposition under forest canopies: some recommendations for equipment and sampling design. In: Environ. Monit. Assess. 53: 353–387.
UN-ECE, 2004. International co-operative programme on assessment and monitoring of air pollution effects on forests. Manual on methods and criteria for harmonized sampling, assessment, monitoring and analysis of the effects of air pollution on forests. United nations economic commission for Europe, Convention on long-range transboundary air pollution. With eleven parts (http://www.icp-forests.org/Manual. htm).
UN/ECE, 2007. The condition of forests in Europe, 2007. executive report, ICP forests and European commission, Hamburg and Brussels, 33 p.
Vos P., Meelis E., and Ter Keurs W.J., 2000. Aframework for the design of ecological monitoring programs as a tool for environmental and nature management. Environ. Monit. Assess. 61: 317–344, 2000.
Wagner G., 1995. Basic approaches and methods for quality assurance and quality control in sample collection and storage for environmental monitoring. The Science of Total Environment 176: 63–71.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Open Access This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0 ), which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
About this article
Cite this article
Ferretti, M., König, N., Rautio, P. et al. Quality assurance (QA) in international forest monitoring programmes: activity, problems and perspectives from East Asia and Europe. Ann. For. Sci. 66, 403 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1051/forest/2009025
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/forest/2009025