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RENECOFOR (national Network of long-term follow-up of the forest ecosystems) is part of the ICP-Forest level 2.

ICP Forests was launched in 1985 under the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) due to the growing public awareness of possible adverse effects of air pollution on forests. ICP Forests monitors the forest condition in Europe, in cooperation with the European Union using two different monitoring intensity levels. The first grid (called Level I) is based on around 6000 observation plots on a systematic transnational grid of 16 x 16 km throughout Europe. The intensive monitoring level comprises around 500 Level II plots in selected forest ecosystems in Europe. Currently 41 countries participate in the ICP Forests.

In France it represents a network of 102 plots distributed on all the metropolitan territory. RENECOFOR is managed by the French National Office for Forest ( ONF).

On each of the 102 plots, a sampling of tree leaves or needles is done. To sample leaves or needles at the top trees, the uitilsation of a rifle is necessary.

All the analyses are performed at USRAVE. It concerns:

• mass of 1000 needles or 100 leaves
• Content in mineral and organic mater
• Total concentration in carbon and nitrogen
• Total conentration in some macro elements: boron, sulfur, chloride, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium
• Total concentration in some oligo elements: copper, Iron, manganese and zinc
• Total concentration in trace elements: cadmium, chromium, nickel, lead, cobalt, molybdenum and aluminum

The first samples were sampled and analysed in 1993.