• Key message A dataset of forest resource projections in 23 European countries to 2040 has been prepared for forestrelated policy analysis and decision-making. Due to applying harmonised definitions, while maintaining country-specific forestry practices, the projections should be usable from national to international levels. The dataset can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4t880qh. The associated metadata are available at https://metadata-afs.nancy.inra.fr/ geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/8f93e0d6-b524-43bd-bdb8-621ad5ae6fa9.

The increased demand for bio based products worldwide provides an opportunity for Eastern European countries to increase their production in agriculture and forestry. At the same time, such economic development must be congruent with the European Union’s long-term climate and biodiversity objectives. As a country that is rich in bioresources, the Latvian case study is highly relevant to many other countries—especially those in Central and Eastern Europe—and faces a choice of transition pathways to meet both economic and environmental objectives. In order to assess the trade-offs between investments in the bioeconomy and the achievement of climate and biodiversity objectives, we used the Functional Land Management (FLM) framework for the quantification of the supply and demand for the primary productivity, carbon regulation and biodiversity functions. We related the supply of these three soil functions to combinations of land use and soil characteristics. The demand for the same functions were derived from European, national and regional policy objectives. Our results showed different spatial scales at which variation in demand and supply is manifested. High demand for biodiversity was associated with areas dominated by agricultural land at the local scale, while regional differences of unemployment rates and the target for GDP increases framed the demand for primary productivity. National demand for carbon regulation focused on areas dominated by forests on organic soils. We subsequently identified mismatches between the supply and demand for soil functions, and we selected spatial locations for specific land use changes and improvements in management practices to promote sustainable development of the bio-economy. Our results offer guidance to policy makers that will help them to form a national policy that will underpin management practices that are effective and tailored toward local climate conditions and national implementation pathways.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of drainage on soil carbon stock in a transitional mire drained for forestry. The study site is located in the central part of Latvia representing hemiboreal vegetation zone. Site was drained in 1960. It is located in a catchment area of the river Veseta. An undrained site at the same catchment area was chosen for control (ca. 2.5 km between sites). In both sites, the depth of peat is 4 -4.5 m. Drained site is dominated by coniferous trees. Soil samples collected in 2014 were used to determine bulk density and carbon content, and to calculate soil carbon stock. Samples were collected down to 80 cm depth. Ground surface elevation was measured before and several times after the drainage to determine peat subsidence. Carbon stock has increased by 0.3 tons ha -1 yr 1 after drainage, although peat has subsided on average by 26 cm (13 -48 cm). Subsidence was mainly caused by physical shrinkage of peat not by organic matter oxidation. Drainage was followed by compaction of aerated soil layer, which has caused most of the subsidence, especially during the first years after drainage. Soil bulk density has increased almost twice at soil surface layer 0 -10 cm (from 75 kg m 3 to 141 kg m 3 ). Differences decrease at deeper sampling depths. It is concluded that drainage is not always followed by reduction of carbon stock in soil. Increased above and below ground litter production rates may offset accelerated decomposition of organic matter after drainage.

Globally, agricultural mineral soils can be either sources or sinks of carbon (C) depending on the land use, environmental conditions and management activities. In Latvia, land use change in cropland and grassland categories, including afforestation and deforestation, are the key sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It is requested by the guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to use verified scientific methodology and scientifically proven emission factors and data sources in National GHG emission inventory reporting for they key source categories. The scope of the study is to evaluate organic carbon (C org ) stock in mineral soil in cropland and grassland in Latvia, where no land use changes were observed for at least 20 years. Remote sensing methods were applied to identify the National Forest Inventory (NFI) plots in grassland and cropland, where no land use changes have taken place since 1990. Vegetation index was used as criteria to validate land use. In total 120 plots on cropland and 120 plots on grassland were randomly selected for soil sampling, and the data on C org stock in mineral soil from 218 plots were used in the calculation. Soil samples for physical and chemical analysis from 0-10, 10-20, 20-40 and 40-80 cm depths were collected in 2014 and 2015. The most widespread soil groups in the studied plots in cropland are Retisols (21.2%), Luvisols (20.8%) and Stagnosols (18.6%), but in grassland -Stagnosols (22.8%), Umbrisols (22.8%) and Retisols (20.6%). The mean C org stock in soil at 0-40 cm depth in cropland is 83.0 t ha -1 , in grassland -88.6 t ha -1 , but the mean C org stock in agricultural soils at 0-40 cm depth -85.6 t ha -1 . Statistically significant difference between C org stock in cropland and grassland was not detected.