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The forest site type classification elaborated by E.Lõhmus in 1974 needs urgently amendments and corrections, taking into account the additional data, collected in the last decades, as well as the sustainable management policy and maintenance of forest communities diversity. The general aims of the project are: 1. To compile a new Estonian forest site type classification system, considering the aspects of forests biological diversity and corresponding better to the ecological conditions of stands than the actually used classification; 2. To analyse the impact of various factors, such as intensity of management, stand age, ecological conditions etc. to the forest species diversity; especial attention is paid to the cryptogams (lichens and bryophytes) having a great bioindicative value; 3. To create a public database of forest vegetation data, that can be amended by all the specialists, dealing with this topic and that can be used for different purposes (updating the classification system, planning, monitoring, nature protection). In that way, the project deals with fundamental problems of forest ecology, as well as with applied tasks. |