Holistic Management Practices, Modelling and Monitoring for European Forest Soils

HoliSoils is an ongoing Horizon 2020 project to develop a harmonized soil monitoring framework to identify and test soil management practices aiming to mitigate climate change and sustain provision of various ecosystem services essential for human livelihoods and wellbeing. The project incorporates novel methodologies and expert knowledge on analytical techniques, data sharing, soil properties and biodiversity, and processes with model development. The objectives of the project include advancing knowledge of soil properties, developing and improving state-of-the-art soil models, developing standardised sampling and monitoring protocols, and determining the effects of management on soil functionality and resilience, as well as the impacts, trade-offs, and synergies of Climate-Smart Forestry management scenarios for soils and forests on the greenhouse gas balance across Europe. HoliSoils applies a collaborative multi-actor approach, involving universities, research institutes, and intergovernmental bodies, as well as active engagement with diverse stakeholders. It is hoped that the project will help to close knowledge gaps on forest soil processes and the lack of harmonized soil monitoring, and will contribute to the EU’s ability to maintain soil-related ecosystem services and to reach climate policy targets. 

The project combines cutting-edge methodologies and expert knowledge of analytical methods, soil characteristics and biodiversity, data sharing, and model development processes to develop tools for soil monitoring. Their project seeks to improve the LULUCF sector's greenhouse gas assessment, increase the effectiveness of GHG mitigation measures, and boost numerical forecasting of mitigation services. 

Its ECOSSE (Estimation of Carbon in Organic Soils – Sequestration and Emissions) model utilizes meteorological, land management, land use, and soil data, to simulate soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics in both mineral and organic soils, as well as changes in soil organic carbon and soil greenhouse gas emissions. The model has expanded concepts previously defined for mineral soils in the RothC model and SUNDIAL model to mimic processes in peatlands and other organic soils.