Key messageThe outcome of the present study leads to the application of a spatially explicit rule-based expert system(RBES) algorithm aimed at automatically classifying forest areas according to the European Forest Types (EFT) systemof nomenclature at pan-European scale level. With the RBES, the EFT system of nomenclature can be now easilyimplemented for objective, replicable, and automatic classification of field plots for forest inventories or spatial units(pixels or polygons) for thematic mapping.&ContextForest Types classification systems are aimed at stratifying forest habitats. Since 2006, a common scheme forclassifying European forests into 14 categories and 78 types (European Forest Types, EFT) exists.&AimsThis workpresents aninnovative methodand automated classificationsystem that, inanobjective and replicableway, canaccurately classify a given forest habitat according to the EFT system of nomenclature.&MethodsA rule-based expert system (RBES) was adopted as a transparent approach after comparison with the well-knownRandomForest(RF)classificationsystem.Theexperimentwascarriedoutbasedontheinformationacquiredinthefieldin2010ICP level I plots in 17 European countries. The accuracy of the automated classification is evaluated by comparison with anindependent classification of the ICP plots into EFTcarried out during the BioSoil project field survey. Finally, the RBES automatedclassifier was tested also for a pixel-based classification of a pan-European distribution map of beech-dominated forests.

• European Forest Types: toward an automated classific