Drivers of biomass change in Europe: visual interpretation of a random sample

<p>ESA CCI Biomass maps v.5 were used to identify drivers of biomass change between 2010 and 2020. Sample preparation involved the following steps:</p> <ol> <li>Generated a random sample across Europe where CCI Biomass reported values.</li> <li>Reduced sample size in Turkey and Ukraine by a factor of 10.</li> <li>Reduced sample size in areas with small changes (&plusmn;25 t/ha) by a factor of 20.</li> <li>Reduced sample size in areas with "Improbable change" Quality Flag by a factor of 20.</li> </ol> <p>This resulted in 4,702 locations classified in Geo-Wiki.org using high-resolution imagery into the following categories:</p> <ol> <li>No changes, remains forest</li> <li>No changes, remains non-forest</li> <li>Not clear if any changes happend</li> <li>Gain: reforestation</li> <li>Gain: afforestation</li> <li>Gain: forest growth</li> <li>Gain: tree crops/agroforestry</li> <li>Gain: urban trees</li> <li>Loss: cropland</li> <li>Loss: tree/shrub crops</li> <li>Loss: roads/trails/buildings</li> <li>Loss: mining and crude oil extraction</li> <li>Loss: forest management</li> <li>Loss: wildfire</li> <li>Loss: insects and diseases</li> <li>Loss: windthrow</li> <li>Loss: other natural disturbances</li> <li>Not sure about drivers</li> </ol>