Good Practice - Inspirational Idea
Forest monitoring for sustainable management
Monitoring forests through remote sensing in La Rioja
Summary
Forest areas represent one of Europe’s most important renewable resources. Digital technologies, including satellites, drones, LiDAR, and aerial photography, can map forest resources in a detailed way. Accurate data can help detect pests and diseases or other health issues due to storms or drought, and locate underutilised biomass to support forest fire prevention. Forest owners, firefighters, public authorities and others can use these detailed inventories to make informed decisions for more sustainable forest management and a more efficient use of forest resources.
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Operational Group ‘Forest LidaRioja’ uses remote sensing technologies to map forests in the Spanish La Rioja region. The project uses satellite data and LiDAR scans to create a highly detailed 3D model of the 130 million trees in the area, but also of shrubs and undergrowth.
“Forest owners and regional authorities use our data to update the National Forest Map of La Rioja with information about the number of trees, biomass and species in mixed forest”, says technical project coordinator José Luis Tomé from lead partner Agresta. “It helps them to understand how the forests are evolving, and allows them to develop sustainable forest management plans.”
The Operational Group’s partner from the wood industry had noticed that the number of poplars – the most important forest resource in La Rioja – had been decreasing. José Luis explains: “Thanks to our analysis of the satellite and LiDAR data, they now have a cost-effective way to calculate the actual wood supply, understand the evolution of the poplars in the region, and estimate future availability.”
The scans also deliver ‘fuel maps’ that give an up-to-date overview of forest shrubs and undergrowth, which is vital information in the fight against forest fires. “Firefighters and contractors can see where to apply preventive measures.”
The forest maps are freely available through the website of the Government of La Rioja or an application designed by the Operational Group. José Luis sees benefits for the entire sector: “The forest sector can be very fragmented. Everyone is used to working in their own way, but the Operational Group gives us the opportunity to address these challenges as a team and find solutions that are useful for all partners.”