Space-based monitoring of Europe's forests
European forests provide resources such as wood, harbour entire ecosystems and affect the climate of the continent. For these forests to be maintained in a healthy and sustainable way, authorities require detailed information on nature's delicate balance. The EU-funded 'European forest downstream services- Improved information on forest structure and damages' (EUFODOS) project devised high-tech means to provide the required information. Researchers used satellite and laser scanning technologies to gather information on forest status in a much more cost-effective manner than current technology and practice permit. This enabled authorities to take action against forest damage, and encouraged sustainable forest management through new methods, monitoring of commercial activity and protective initiatives against natural hazards in mountainous regions. Using spaceborne and airborne sensor platforms streamlines the process of gathering information and is far more efficient than using field trips and helicopter flights. This can help assess damage from fires, storms and insect infestations; plan sustainable logging; update forest maps; and support forest information systems for protective forest planning and damage assessment. The project team defined user needs and articulated the concept of the EUFODOS information system. Researchers also developed operational toolboxes for distribution to users and service providers. Tests to validate the technology were conducted in forests in Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Austria, Poland and Finland. The experiments proved that remote sensing is a very valuable tool for monitoring and to sustain protective forests, paving the way for large-scale deployment of the system. Finally, EUFODOS developed a number of information products to help managers and researchers to maintain forests in a sustainable way. These were incorporated into a greater EU system of global data products for research and monitoring. Once the forest monitoring tools are available, Europe's authorities will have a powerful resource to encourage forest sustainability and help to protect our environment from natural hazards.
Keywords
Forests, satellite, laser scanning, sustainability, downstream services