Field manual for the national inventories of grasslands and deciduous forests NILS, 2024

Abstract

This field manual presents the methods, definitions, and survey procedures used in the National Inventories of Landscapes in Sweden (NILS) for the Grassland and Deciduous Forest Inventories. These inventories were developed by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) on behalf of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, primarily to support Sweden’s reporting obligations under Article 17 of the EU Habitats Directive. The manual describes the standardized approach used to collect data on grasslands and mature deciduous forests that are underrepresented in other national monitoring programs. The inventories aim to provide reliable information on these habitat types, including associated species and quality variables, to enable detection of changes in both area and quality over time. Detailed instructions are provided for all parts of the field workflow, including navigation and sample plot establishment, delineation and subdivision of land types, habitat type definitions, and minimum mapping units. The manual further outlines the protocols for data collection in sample plots, sub-sample plots, and small sample plots, together with workflows for digital registration, data submission, and self-validation. This document is an English translation of the original Swedish field manual (Hedenås et al. 2024) and is intended to support its use and understanding in international contexts, thereby facilitating transparency and the sharing of methodology.

Keywords

Agricultural landscape; Annex I-habitats; Article 17-reporting; Broad-leaved forests; Deciduous Forest Inventory; Environmental monitoring; Environmental Objectives; Grassland Inventory; Habitats directive; Meadows; National Inventories of Landscapes in Sweden (NILS); Pastures; Quality indicators; Sampling design

Published in

Arbetsrapport / Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, Institutionen för skoglig resurshushållning
2025, number: 573
Publisher: Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, Institutionen för skoglig resurshushållning

SLU Authors

• Hedenås, Henrik

  • Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Sjödin, Maria

  • Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Wikander, Lina

  • Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Adler, Sven

  • Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Andersson, Marcus

  • Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Gardfjell, Hans

  • Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Hagner, Åsa

  • Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Pettersson, Anders

  • Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Johannessen, Viktor

  • Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Press, Andreas

  • Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Ranlund, Åsa

  • Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science
Ecology

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/146329