Viorel Blujdea - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Viorel Blujdea
The EU Archive Index Database customised for the Carbon Budget Model (CBM-CFS3) Description: The ... more The EU Archive Index Database customised for the Carbon Budget Model (CBM-CFS3) Description: The Archive Index Database (AIDB), a Microsoft Access database that tracks the relationship between the model inputs and the results, tracks the status of the simulations, and stores all of the default information and parameters applied by model when creating a new project. The EU-AIDB incorporates 1034 spatial units resulting from the intersection of 204 European administrative regions, and ecological boundaries representing 35 climatic units. It also contains updated parameters for 192 of the main tree species reported by the National Forest Inventories of each EU country.
Forest Ecology and Management, 2022
Carbon Balance and Management
Background Forest carbon models are recognized as suitable tools for the reporting and verificati... more Background Forest carbon models are recognized as suitable tools for the reporting and verification of forest carbon stock and stock change, as well as for evaluating the forest management options to enhance the carbon sink provided by sustainable forestry. However, given their increased complexity and data availability, different models may simulate different estimates. Here, we compare carbon estimates for Romanian forests as simulated by two models (CBM and EFISCEN) that are often used for evaluating the mitigation options given the forest-management choices. Results The models, calibrated and parameterized with identical or harmonized data, derived from two successive national forest inventories, produced similar estimates of carbon accumulation in tree biomass. According to CBM simulations of carbon stocks in Romanian forests, by 2060, the merchantable standing stock volume will reach an average of 377 m3 ha−1, while the carbon stock in tree biomass will reach 76.5 tC ha−1. The...
Forest Ecology and Management, 2022
System of practices on land on which agricultural crops are grown and on land temporarily set-asi... more System of practices on land on which agricultural crops are grown and on land temporarily set-aside from crop production. Includes arable and tillable land, rice fields, and agro-forestry systems*: • Long-term cultivated (annual crops) cereals, oils seeds, vegetables, root crops, forages • Paddy rice (wetland rice) • Perennial / tree crops trees & shrubs with herbaceous crops, orchards, vineyards and plantations • Set-aside (temporary fallow land) land set at rest for one or several (<20) years before being cultivated again
S e p t. 2 0 1 0 EUR 24573 ENThe mission of the JRC is to provide customer-driven scientific and ... more S e p t. 2 0 1 0 EUR 24573 ENThe mission of the JRC is to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of EU policies. As a service of the European Commission, the JRC functions as a reference centre of science and technology for the Union. Close to the policy-making process, it serves the common interest of the Member States, while being independent of special interests, whether private or national.
We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to, in particular, the Governments of Germany,
This report is an attempt to develop a modelling framework integrating different sectoral stand-a... more This report is an attempt to develop a modelling framework integrating different sectoral stand-alone models used at the JRC for policy impact assessment in the fields of agriculture, forestry, land use change and energy. The proposed quantitative framework should improve the capability of assessing greenhouse gas emissions and removals resulting from complex interactions between the agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sectors, and facilitate the analysis of policy scenarios relevant for a sustainable and carbon-neutral European economy. Four models are considered, for which a revised model specification and harmonization of relevant databases and model parameters is needed. The Common Agricultural Policy Regionalized Impact (CAPRI) Modelling System is a widely used large-scale multi-commodity agricultural economic model. The Land Use-based Integrated Sustainability Assessment modelling platform for BioEconomy and Ecosystem Services (LUISA-BEES) is primarily used for t...
Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-napoca, 2010
In this study biomass conversion and expansion factors (BCEFs) were developed for young Norway sp... more In this study biomass conversion and expansion factors (BCEFs) were developed for young Norway spruce trees planted on non-forest lands, in order to support quantification of carbon stock changes in biomass pools of afforestation works. Regression models for stem volume and stem wood density were also developed. The data set included 250 trees collected from 25 plantations between 1 and 12 years old, located in the Eastern Carpathians of Romania. The study shows that BCEFs decreased with increasing tree dimensions, following an exponential trend. In all proposed models the highest prediction was reached when both variables considered (i.e. root-collar diameter and height) were used together. However, used separately, height produced a slightly higher prediction compared to root-collar diameter. Stem volume was well predicted by both root-collar diameter and height. Anyway, a significant improvement in prediction resulted when both variables were used together. Stem wood density decr...
Annals of Forest Research, 2012
Estimating soils organic carbon stock and its change in time is an actual concern for scientists ... more Estimating soils organic carbon stock and its change in time is an actual concern for scientists and climate change policy makers. The present article firstly focus on determination of C stocks in Romania on forest soil types, as well as development of the spatial distribution mapping using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and also the secondly on the quantification of uncertainty associated with currently available data on C concentration on forest soils geometrical layers. Determination of C stock was done based on forest management plans database created over 2000-2006. Unlike original database, the data for this study was harmonized on following depths: 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-40 cm, and > 40 cm. Then, the obtained values were grouped by soil types, resulting average values for the main forest soils from Romania. A soil area weighted average value of 137 t/ha is calculated for Romania, in the range of estimations for other European geographic and climatic areas. The soils ...
Forests, 2021
We investigated the effects of forest management on the carbon (C) dynamics in Romanian forest so... more We investigated the effects of forest management on the carbon (C) dynamics in Romanian forest soils, using two model simulations: CBM-CFS3 and Yasso15. Default parametrization of the models and harmonized litterfall simulated by CBM provided satisfactory results when compared to observed data from National Forest Inventory (NFI). We explored a stratification approach to investigate the improvement of soil C prediction. For stratification on forest types only, the NRMSE (i.e., normalized RMSE of simulated vs. NFI) was approximately 26%, for both models; the NRMSE values reduced to 13% when stratification was done based on climate only. Assuming the continuation of the current forest management practices for a period of 50 years, both models simulated a very small C sink during simulation period (0.05 MgC ha−1 yr−1). Yet, a change towards extensive forest management practices would yield a constant, minor accumulation of soil C, while more intensive practices would yield a constant, ...
Bucovina Forestiera, Jul 31, 2018
Romania has made commitments to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which also r... more Romania has made commitments to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which also refers to land use, including forestland. Essentially, the commitments refer to the fact that the land use sector is not a net emissions source in the 2013-2020 commitment period associated with the Kyoto Protocol and between 2021-2030 associated with the Paris Agreement and implemented by EU legislation. Forest management (which also integrates the use of harvested wood products), deforestation, afforestation and revegetation are the most significant contributors to this sector. The annual amount of CO 2 absorbed by the forestland is estimated at about 20-22 million tons, both from Romania's official reporting based on data of the Forest Fund Inventory form 1984 rolled over more than three decades, and the simulation based on preliminary results from the first cycle of the National Forestry Inventory, with 2010 as the reference year. Although numerically similar, they are structurally heterogeneous, coming from very different values of the parameters used, especially annual net growth and harvest volume. For responsible authorities, this creates a major uncertainty both in meeting current reporting obligations and design of GHG reduction effort. According to current estimates, accounting for forest management suggests a net quantity of emission reductions of approx. 9 million tCO 2 /year for the period 2013-2020 (possible "windfall" credits in the absence of documented mitigation measures) and a net emission of approx. 0.1 million tCO 2 /year for the period 2021-2030. Another source of uncertainty is GHG emission from deforestation (e.g., anthropogenic conversion from forest to other land use) that have taken place since 1990, possibly artifact caused by missing a robust method of estimating of the deforested areas as required by reporting rules. The afforestation amounts to only 0.19 million tCO 2 in 2017, but the flexibility quota provided for in the new regulations (EU) 841/2018 and (EU) 842/2018 would allow an increase corresponding to an annual afforestation rate up to 12 times the average area achieved over the last 20 years. Revegetation (i.e. creation of forest protection belts) was a source of GHG emissions in the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol because of the low rate of establishment of new forest belts. Legislative support contains multiple incentives for GHG emission reductions for sectoral activities. Specifically, commitments also include agricultural land use, so it remains up to the national authorities responsible to find integrated, cross-sectoral implementation solutions, as well as identifying opportunities specific to forestry sector.
Bucovina Forestiera, 2019
Romania's forest policy is based on a long tradition in establishing and implementing the princip... more Romania's forest policy is based on a long tradition in establishing and implementing the principles of sustainable management of forestry resources, based on a sound scientific and technical foundation. This resulted in a rigorous forestry regime, designed to operate efficiently under the conditions of state ownership over all forests. Over the past 30 years, Romania has gone through a period of transition towards a market economy with major institutional changes that took place in the forest sector through the restitution of forests and the privatisation of the administration, logging and forest industry sector. In this context, the regulatory system did not have the expected efficiency, which is reflected in a clear social tension, involving all stakeholders interested in and affected by the management of forests: private owners, public and private forest administration, logging and wood processing companies, environmental protection organisations, civil society, etc. The paper presents the process of elaborating a vision for sustainable forest management that would underlie a new public forest policy, in accordance with the international strategic documents and with the current challenges faced by the Romanian forest sector. The dialogue platform used in the elaboration of the vision has been coordinated by a university, precisely to ensure a unitary methodological approach to involve relevant experts and stakeholders in the process. The development of the vision used a stepwise participatory process based on the activity of a core group of experts followed by an extension of the group of experts, a public consultation process and a public debate. The result of the process is materialised in a set of eight sustainable forest management principles and four good governance principles. The implementation of the principles requires the identification, through an efficient and constructive communication between all stakeholders, of specific directions of action that have to be integrated in a new regulatory system that needs to be clear, easily monitored and effective in terms of practical results.
Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 2013
The aim of the paper was to develop biomass equations for young black locust trees from plantatio... more The aim of the paper was to develop biomass equations for young black locust trees from plantations and coppices established in South-West Romania. A destructive method was used to develop allometric biomass equations and to assess the carbon content of the individual tree and its biomass components. 418 black locust young trees (1-4 years old) from 27 plots established in plantations and coppices growing on sandy soils in Dolj and Olt counties were sampled. Simple linear regression models were developed for biomass estimation. The results shown that root collar diameter was the most accurate biomass predictor, whilst intercept and slope values were similar to those identified in other recent studies. The specific carbon content (mean values) was 45% for roots and 48% for leaves, similar to the values provided by Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change.
The EU Archive Index Database customised for the Carbon Budget Model (CBM-CFS3) Description: The ... more The EU Archive Index Database customised for the Carbon Budget Model (CBM-CFS3) Description: The Archive Index Database (AIDB), a Microsoft Access database that tracks the relationship between the model inputs and the results, tracks the status of the simulations, and stores all of the default information and parameters applied by model when creating a new project. The EU-AIDB incorporates 1034 spatial units resulting from the intersection of 204 European administrative regions, and ecological boundaries representing 35 climatic units. It also contains updated parameters for 192 of the main tree species reported by the National Forest Inventories of each EU country.
Forest Ecology and Management, 2022
Carbon Balance and Management
Background Forest carbon models are recognized as suitable tools for the reporting and verificati... more Background Forest carbon models are recognized as suitable tools for the reporting and verification of forest carbon stock and stock change, as well as for evaluating the forest management options to enhance the carbon sink provided by sustainable forestry. However, given their increased complexity and data availability, different models may simulate different estimates. Here, we compare carbon estimates for Romanian forests as simulated by two models (CBM and EFISCEN) that are often used for evaluating the mitigation options given the forest-management choices. Results The models, calibrated and parameterized with identical or harmonized data, derived from two successive national forest inventories, produced similar estimates of carbon accumulation in tree biomass. According to CBM simulations of carbon stocks in Romanian forests, by 2060, the merchantable standing stock volume will reach an average of 377 m3 ha−1, while the carbon stock in tree biomass will reach 76.5 tC ha−1. The...
Forest Ecology and Management, 2022
System of practices on land on which agricultural crops are grown and on land temporarily set-asi... more System of practices on land on which agricultural crops are grown and on land temporarily set-aside from crop production. Includes arable and tillable land, rice fields, and agro-forestry systems*: • Long-term cultivated (annual crops) cereals, oils seeds, vegetables, root crops, forages • Paddy rice (wetland rice) • Perennial / tree crops trees & shrubs with herbaceous crops, orchards, vineyards and plantations • Set-aside (temporary fallow land) land set at rest for one or several (<20) years before being cultivated again
S e p t. 2 0 1 0 EUR 24573 ENThe mission of the JRC is to provide customer-driven scientific and ... more S e p t. 2 0 1 0 EUR 24573 ENThe mission of the JRC is to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of EU policies. As a service of the European Commission, the JRC functions as a reference centre of science and technology for the Union. Close to the policy-making process, it serves the common interest of the Member States, while being independent of special interests, whether private or national.
We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to, in particular, the Governments of Germany,
This report is an attempt to develop a modelling framework integrating different sectoral stand-a... more This report is an attempt to develop a modelling framework integrating different sectoral stand-alone models used at the JRC for policy impact assessment in the fields of agriculture, forestry, land use change and energy. The proposed quantitative framework should improve the capability of assessing greenhouse gas emissions and removals resulting from complex interactions between the agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sectors, and facilitate the analysis of policy scenarios relevant for a sustainable and carbon-neutral European economy. Four models are considered, for which a revised model specification and harmonization of relevant databases and model parameters is needed. The Common Agricultural Policy Regionalized Impact (CAPRI) Modelling System is a widely used large-scale multi-commodity agricultural economic model. The Land Use-based Integrated Sustainability Assessment modelling platform for BioEconomy and Ecosystem Services (LUISA-BEES) is primarily used for t...
Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-napoca, 2010
In this study biomass conversion and expansion factors (BCEFs) were developed for young Norway sp... more In this study biomass conversion and expansion factors (BCEFs) were developed for young Norway spruce trees planted on non-forest lands, in order to support quantification of carbon stock changes in biomass pools of afforestation works. Regression models for stem volume and stem wood density were also developed. The data set included 250 trees collected from 25 plantations between 1 and 12 years old, located in the Eastern Carpathians of Romania. The study shows that BCEFs decreased with increasing tree dimensions, following an exponential trend. In all proposed models the highest prediction was reached when both variables considered (i.e. root-collar diameter and height) were used together. However, used separately, height produced a slightly higher prediction compared to root-collar diameter. Stem volume was well predicted by both root-collar diameter and height. Anyway, a significant improvement in prediction resulted when both variables were used together. Stem wood density decr...
Annals of Forest Research, 2012
Estimating soils organic carbon stock and its change in time is an actual concern for scientists ... more Estimating soils organic carbon stock and its change in time is an actual concern for scientists and climate change policy makers. The present article firstly focus on determination of C stocks in Romania on forest soil types, as well as development of the spatial distribution mapping using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and also the secondly on the quantification of uncertainty associated with currently available data on C concentration on forest soils geometrical layers. Determination of C stock was done based on forest management plans database created over 2000-2006. Unlike original database, the data for this study was harmonized on following depths: 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-40 cm, and > 40 cm. Then, the obtained values were grouped by soil types, resulting average values for the main forest soils from Romania. A soil area weighted average value of 137 t/ha is calculated for Romania, in the range of estimations for other European geographic and climatic areas. The soils ...
Forests, 2021
We investigated the effects of forest management on the carbon (C) dynamics in Romanian forest so... more We investigated the effects of forest management on the carbon (C) dynamics in Romanian forest soils, using two model simulations: CBM-CFS3 and Yasso15. Default parametrization of the models and harmonized litterfall simulated by CBM provided satisfactory results when compared to observed data from National Forest Inventory (NFI). We explored a stratification approach to investigate the improvement of soil C prediction. For stratification on forest types only, the NRMSE (i.e., normalized RMSE of simulated vs. NFI) was approximately 26%, for both models; the NRMSE values reduced to 13% when stratification was done based on climate only. Assuming the continuation of the current forest management practices for a period of 50 years, both models simulated a very small C sink during simulation period (0.05 MgC ha−1 yr−1). Yet, a change towards extensive forest management practices would yield a constant, minor accumulation of soil C, while more intensive practices would yield a constant, ...
Bucovina Forestiera, Jul 31, 2018
Romania has made commitments to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which also r... more Romania has made commitments to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which also refers to land use, including forestland. Essentially, the commitments refer to the fact that the land use sector is not a net emissions source in the 2013-2020 commitment period associated with the Kyoto Protocol and between 2021-2030 associated with the Paris Agreement and implemented by EU legislation. Forest management (which also integrates the use of harvested wood products), deforestation, afforestation and revegetation are the most significant contributors to this sector. The annual amount of CO 2 absorbed by the forestland is estimated at about 20-22 million tons, both from Romania's official reporting based on data of the Forest Fund Inventory form 1984 rolled over more than three decades, and the simulation based on preliminary results from the first cycle of the National Forestry Inventory, with 2010 as the reference year. Although numerically similar, they are structurally heterogeneous, coming from very different values of the parameters used, especially annual net growth and harvest volume. For responsible authorities, this creates a major uncertainty both in meeting current reporting obligations and design of GHG reduction effort. According to current estimates, accounting for forest management suggests a net quantity of emission reductions of approx. 9 million tCO 2 /year for the period 2013-2020 (possible "windfall" credits in the absence of documented mitigation measures) and a net emission of approx. 0.1 million tCO 2 /year for the period 2021-2030. Another source of uncertainty is GHG emission from deforestation (e.g., anthropogenic conversion from forest to other land use) that have taken place since 1990, possibly artifact caused by missing a robust method of estimating of the deforested areas as required by reporting rules. The afforestation amounts to only 0.19 million tCO 2 in 2017, but the flexibility quota provided for in the new regulations (EU) 841/2018 and (EU) 842/2018 would allow an increase corresponding to an annual afforestation rate up to 12 times the average area achieved over the last 20 years. Revegetation (i.e. creation of forest protection belts) was a source of GHG emissions in the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol because of the low rate of establishment of new forest belts. Legislative support contains multiple incentives for GHG emission reductions for sectoral activities. Specifically, commitments also include agricultural land use, so it remains up to the national authorities responsible to find integrated, cross-sectoral implementation solutions, as well as identifying opportunities specific to forestry sector.
Bucovina Forestiera, 2019
Romania's forest policy is based on a long tradition in establishing and implementing the princip... more Romania's forest policy is based on a long tradition in establishing and implementing the principles of sustainable management of forestry resources, based on a sound scientific and technical foundation. This resulted in a rigorous forestry regime, designed to operate efficiently under the conditions of state ownership over all forests. Over the past 30 years, Romania has gone through a period of transition towards a market economy with major institutional changes that took place in the forest sector through the restitution of forests and the privatisation of the administration, logging and forest industry sector. In this context, the regulatory system did not have the expected efficiency, which is reflected in a clear social tension, involving all stakeholders interested in and affected by the management of forests: private owners, public and private forest administration, logging and wood processing companies, environmental protection organisations, civil society, etc. The paper presents the process of elaborating a vision for sustainable forest management that would underlie a new public forest policy, in accordance with the international strategic documents and with the current challenges faced by the Romanian forest sector. The dialogue platform used in the elaboration of the vision has been coordinated by a university, precisely to ensure a unitary methodological approach to involve relevant experts and stakeholders in the process. The development of the vision used a stepwise participatory process based on the activity of a core group of experts followed by an extension of the group of experts, a public consultation process and a public debate. The result of the process is materialised in a set of eight sustainable forest management principles and four good governance principles. The implementation of the principles requires the identification, through an efficient and constructive communication between all stakeholders, of specific directions of action that have to be integrated in a new regulatory system that needs to be clear, easily monitored and effective in terms of practical results.
Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 2013
The aim of the paper was to develop biomass equations for young black locust trees from plantatio... more The aim of the paper was to develop biomass equations for young black locust trees from plantations and coppices established in South-West Romania. A destructive method was used to develop allometric biomass equations and to assess the carbon content of the individual tree and its biomass components. 418 black locust young trees (1-4 years old) from 27 plots established in plantations and coppices growing on sandy soils in Dolj and Olt counties were sampled. Simple linear regression models were developed for biomass estimation. The results shown that root collar diameter was the most accurate biomass predictor, whilst intercept and slope values were similar to those identified in other recent studies. The specific carbon content (mean values) was 45% for roots and 48% for leaves, similar to the values provided by Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change.