Forest Information System Research Articles

Advances in Brazil's National Forest Inventory

Brazil's National Forest Inventory (IFN), coordinated by the Brazilian Forest Service (SFB), provides essential data on the country's forest resources. The availability of IFN data, collected over more than a decade, through the National Forest Information System (SNIF), promotes transparency and facilitates access to comprehensive information about Brazilian forests. This detailed survey covers biophysical, botanical and socio-environmental aspects, as well as interviews about the use of forest resources.

Sistem Informasi Geografis Tanah Bersertifikat Pada Desa Kersik Kecamatan Marangkayu Kabupaten Kutai Kartanegara

The development of information technology is currently causing significant changes in various fields including community administration services at the Village Office. One of the information technologies used is a Geographic Information System (GIS) which is used as a tool for storing, manipulating, analyzing and displaying spatial data and its attributes. Kersik Village in Marangkayu Sub-District, Kutai Kartanegara District currently does not yet have a functioning certified forest information system, thus attacking the community in accessing information about certified land. Therefore, a geographic information system for certified land is needed in Kersik Village to make it easier for the community to access information related to certified land. This system will also assist the village government in managing certified land data, such as location, area, and landowner information. This system is expected to increase efficiency and transparency in the management of certified land data in Kersik Village, Marangkayu Sub-District, Kutai Kartanegara Districk.

Contribution of anthropogenic, vegetation, and topographic features to forest fire occurrence in Poland

Climate is one of the main causes of forest fires in Europe. In addition, forest fires are influenced by other factors, such as the reconstruction of tree stands with a uniform species composition and increasing human pressure. At the same time, the increasing number of fires is accompanied by a steady increase in the number and quality of spatial information collected, which affects the ability to conduct more accurate studies of forest fires. The appropriate use of spatial information systems (GIS) together with all the collected information on fires could provide new insights into their causes and, in further steps, allow the development of new, more accurate predictive models. The objectives of the study were: (i) to estimate the probability of fire occurrence in the period 2007-2016; (ii) to evaluate the performance of the developed model; (iii) to identify and quantify anthropogenic, topographic and stand factors affecting the probability of fire occurrence in forest areas in Poland. To achieve these objectives, a statistical model based on a logistic regression approach was built using the nationwide forest fire database for the period from 2007 to 2016. The information in the database was obtained from the Polish State Forest Information System (SILP). Then it was supplemented with spatial, topographic and socio-economic information from various spatial and statistical databases. The results showed that fire probability is significantly positively affected by population density and distance from buildings. In addition, the further the distance from roads and railways, watercourses and water objects or the edge of the forest, height above sea level, and steep slopes, the lower is the fire probability. Analysis of spatial, ecological and socio-economic factors provides new insights that contribute to a better understanding of fire occurrence in Poland.

Assessing forest accessibility for the multifunctional management of protected areas in Central Italy

Multifunctional forest management should provide the opportunity to create, conserve, modify or eliminate forest roads. Within protected areas, it is difficult to make a single assessment of the degree of accessibility to different forest areas, having to mediate among productive forestry, protection needs and other benefits deriving from forest stands. A GIS-based methodology, with the support of a Forest Information System (FIS) and available Forest Plans for the study area, were applied to create an accessibility map (based on the forest roads network) for the Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise National Park (PNALM). Results were related to several FIS metadata, highlighting that accessibility in the study area was sufficient, but not optimal, in the productive management units, being rather poor in those where soil protection and biodiversity conservation are the main functions (only 38.8% of them were accessible). Forest roads density (28.5 m ha−1) was not homogeneously distributed within the study area and the ratio between forest road length (199.4 km) and planned forest surface (13,355.3 ha) is only 14.9 m ha−1. In contrast to what is commonly found in forest accessibility works, the innovative element of this study was the involvement of PNALM’s technical office in evaluating the results and exploring the opportunity to adopt a different policy for forest roads network management.

Forest Ecological Diversity Change Prediction Discrete Dynamic Model

Forest ecosystem is the most important terrestrial ecosystem type of species diversity in the world. The protection and sustainable use of forest ecological diversity is of great significance to forest protection and sustainable management. In order to maintain biodiversity, the traditional concept of forest resources management must be changed. In recent years, the mining and application of big data have become the frontier content of international ecological diversity and macroecology research. By establishing the discrete dynamic model of forest ecological diversity change, this study finds a method that can keep the number of trees stable in a short time and ensure the sustainable development of forest resources. This article studies and constructs the forest information system and constructs an open‐source WebGIS (network geographic information system) scheme for the field of spatial information and supporting OGC (occupationally generated content). At the same time, the grey theory GM (1,1) model is used to predict the development trend of forest resources in China. The results show that under the promotion of policies and research projects, China’s forestry development has realized the double growth of forest area and volume, and the forest coverage rate has reached a new level.

Prediction of butt rot volume in Norway spruce forest stands using harvester, remotely sensed and environmental data

Butt rot (BR) damage of a tree results from a decay caused by a pathogenic fungus. BR damages associated with Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) account for considerable economic losses in timber production across the northern hemisphere. While information on BR damages is critical for optimal decision-making in forest management, maps of BR damages are typically lacking in forest information systems. Timber volume damaged by BR was predicted at the stand-level in Norway using harvester information of 186,026 stems (clear-cuts), remotely sensed, and environmental data (e.g. climate and terrain characteristics). This study utilized Random Forests models with two sets of predictor variables: (1) predictor variables available after harvest (theoretical case) and (2) predictor variables available prior to harvest (mapping case). Our findings showed that forest attributes characterizing the maturity of forest, such as remote sensing-based height, harvested timber volume and quadratic mean diameter at breast height, were among the most important predictor variables. Remotely sensed predictor variables obtained from airborne laser scanning data and Sentinel-2 imagery were more important than the environmental variables. The theoretical case with a leave-stand-out cross-validation resulted in an RMSE of 11.4 m3 · ha−1 (pseudo-R2: 0.66) whereas the mapping case resulted in a pseudo-R2 of 0.60. When spatially distinct clusters of harvested forest stands were used as units in the cross-validation, the RMSE value and pseudo-R2 associated with the mapping case were 15.6 m3 · ha−1 and 0.37, respectively. The findings associated with the different cross-validation schemes indicated that the knowledge about the BR status of spatially close stands is of high importance for obtaining satisfactory error rates in the mapping of BR damages.

Blockchain –booster of the Russian forest information systems

Digitalization of the Russian forest sector is successfully developing. The first Unified State Automated Information System for timber accounting and transactions (LesEGAIS) has been operating since December 30, 2015 and continues to improve. In 2023, it will be qualitatively transformed into the Federal State Information System of the Forestry Sector FGIS LK. However, these systems continue to be built on centralized databases and rapidly outdated information concepts of the last century. They do not consider the fundamentally new opportunities that the new breakthrough information technology of the distributed ledger (the blockchain) provides to the forest.

Are we ready for a National Forest Information System? State of the art of forest maps and airborne laser scanning data availability in Italy

Forest planning, forest management, and forest policy require updated, reliable, and harmonized spatial datasets. In Italy a national geographic Forest Information System (FIS) designed to store and facilitate the access and analysis of spatial datasets is still missing. Among the different information layers which are useful to start populating a FIS, two are essential for their multiple use in the assessment of forest resources: (i) forest mapping, and (ii) data from Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS). Both layers are not available wall-to-wall for Italy, though different local sources of information potentially useful for their implementation already exist. The objectives of this work were to: (i) review forest maps and ALS data availability in Italy; (ii) develop for the first time a high resolution forest mask of Italy which was validated against the official statistics of the Italian National Forest Inventory; (iii) develop the first mosaic of all the main ALS data available in Italy producing a consistent Canopy Height Model (CHM). An on-line geographic FIS with free access to both layers from (ii) and (iii) was developed for demonstration purposes. The total area of forest and other wooded lands computed from the forest mask was 102.608.82 km2 (34% of the Italian territory), i.e., 1.9% less than the NFI benchmark estimate. This map is currently the best wall-to-wall forest mask available for Italy. We showed that only the 63% of the Italian territory (the 60% of the forest area) is covered by ALS data. These results highlight the urgent need for a national strategy to complete the availability of forest data in Italy.

Development of the structure of the geospatial database for beekeeping

The work draws attention to the importance of beekeeping to provide the population of Ukraine with food, as pollination is necessary to obtain many foods and more. The method of collecting information using Remote sensing is mentioned. And how is the operational approach to identifying possible locations of apiaries. The main problems of accumulation of a large amount of data are revealed, namely the methods of storing geospatial data. The main purpose is to develop a model of geographic information database that will store information about land (areas) safe and dangerous for bees. The necessity of such a database is substantiated, its constituent parts (land plots, safe zones with fodder base of beekeeping, buffer zones around dangerous objects, annual and perennial vegetation) are defined and described. The paper also gives examples of similar geoinformation databases of the European Union, the purpose of which is to monitor the forest stands of Europe (The Forest Information System for Europe). An example of application of the developed database in the country is presented and the direction of development with the help of geoinformation technologies is determined.

GIS-based determination of forest area changes: Case study in Çamsu Forest Sub-district

Bu çalışmada Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemi yardımıyla orman alanlarındaki değişimlerin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Denizli Orman Bölge Müdürlüğü, Uşak Orman İşletme Müdürlüğü’ne bağlı Çamsu Orman İşletme Şefliği olarak belirlenen çalışma alanındaki ormanlarda 1990-2019 yılları arasında meydana gelen değişimler  incelenmiştir. Çalışmada 1990 ve 2013 yıllarında yapılan orman amenajman planları ve meşcere haritalarından yararlanılmıştır. Basılı olarak elde edilen 1990 yılı meşcere haritaları sayısallaştırılmış ve raster-vektör dönüşümü işlemi uygulanmıştır. Coğrafi veri tabanında arazi örtüsü tipi öz nitelikleri düzenlendikten sonra 1990 ve 2013 yılı meşcere haritaları Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemi yazılımında bindirme analizi ile karşılaştırılmış ve değişim katmanı elde edilmiştir. Bu katmana ait coğrafi veri tabanı yardımıyla değişim matrisleri üretilmiş ve değişimler hesaplanmıştır. Ayrıca 2014-2019 yıllarında yapılan silvikültürel uygulamalar da coğrafi veri tabanına girilerek haritalanmıştır. Çalışmadan elde edilen sonuçlara göre, genel alanın %34’ünde çeşitli yön ve büyüklükte değişimler tespit edilmiştir. 2013 yılında orman alanlarının 484 hektar arttığı, kapalılığı %10’un altındaki meşcerelerin yaklaşık yarısının normal kapalılıktaki meşcerelere dönüştüğü ve tarım alanlarının yaklaşık %5 oranında azaldığı belirlenmiştir. 2014-2019 yılları arasındaki silvikültür uygulamalarda toplam 340 hektar karaçam meşceresinde tohumlama, ışık ve boşaltma kesimlerinin yapıldığı ortaya konulmuştur. Bu çalışmadan edinilen veriler, Coğrafi Bilgi Sisteminin orman alanlarındaki zamansal değişimlerin belirlenmesinde kullanılabilecek güçlü bir araç olduğunu göstermektedir. Ormancılık çalışmalarında uygulamacılara önemli bir karar desteği sağlayabilecek bu sistemler, coğrafi veri tabanına günübirlik aktarılan ormancılık aktivitelerine ait veriler ve insansız hava araçlarından alınan fotoğraflar, hava fotoğrafları ve uydu görüntüleri gibi uzaktan algılama verileri ile desteklenerek verimli bir orman bilgi sistemi haline dönüşebilecektir.

The politics of an EU forest information system: Unpacking distributive conflicts associated with the use of forest information

The development of a forest information system on forest resources has been on the European Union (EU) policy agenda for the past 20 years. Yet, despite agenda setting and various supporting initiatives, an operational EU forest information system has not been built yet. We build upon the analytical concept of positive coordination in political sciences, and aim to explore whether and how distributive conflicts associated with the use of forest information are a factor hindering the development of a European forest information system. Empirically, the study builds upon a qualitative research approach and aims to explore and identify perceived gains and losses associated with the use of forest information. For this, we conduct a series of in-depth interviews with key actors relevant to the development of the information system. Two closely interlinked distributive conflicts emerged from our analysis. The first one shapes around the potential use of forest information as a tool for maintaining political authority or expanding competences over forest resources. The second one entails conflicting issues about the potential strategic use of forest information to serve wood production at the expense of forest protection interests, and vice versa. The study concludes that forest information is much more than a neutral and objective form of scientific and technical expertise. It is politicized and used as a political asset that can be framed or utilized strategically for political gains. This leads to distributive conflicts, which in turn hinder the establishment of collaborative relationships and the development of an operational EU forest information system.

Low cost prediction of time consumption for pre-commercial thinning in Finland

The time consumption (TC) of pre-commercial thinning (PCT) varies greatly among sites, stands and forest workers. The TC in PCT is usually estimated by field-assessed work difficulty factors. In this study, a linear mixed model for the TC in PCT was prepared by utilizing forest resources data (FRD). The modelling data included 11 848 and validation data included 3035 worksites with TC information recorded by forest workers within the period of 2008–2018. The worksites represented a range of site and stand conditions across a broad geographical area in Finland. Site and stand characteristics and previous management logically explained the TC in PCT. The more fertile the site, the more working time was needed in PCT. On sites of medium fertility, TC in the initial PCT increased with stand age by 0.5 h ha yr. Site wetness increased the TC. PCT in summer was more time consuming than in spring. Small areas were more time consuming to PCT per hectare than larger ones. The between-forest worker variation involved in the TC was as high as 35% of the variation unexplained by the TC model. The coefficient of determination in validation data was 19.3%, RMSE 4.75 h ha and bias –1.6%. The TC model based on FRD was slightly less precise than the one based on field-assessed work difficulty factors (removal quantity and type and terrain difficulty): RMSE 4.9 h ha vs. 4.1 h ha (52% vs. 43%). The TC model could be connected to forest information systems where it would facilitate the predictions of the labour costs of PCT without field-assessing work difficulty factors.–1–1–1–1–1

산림의 탄소저장량 추정을 위한 신규 입목수간재적표 적용 방안

This study was conducted to suggest application of a new stem volume for the forest carbon stocks in South Korea. We recalculated stem volume using the Kozak parameter and equations based on the old stem volume (approach one) and new stem volume (approach two). Also, we calculated carbon stock and changes using the estimated stem volume and country‐specific emission factors. As a result, growing stock with approach two was higher than that with approach one, and there was a statistically significant difference (p0.05). The result indicates that the new volume table (approach two) will reduce error when assessing wood resources of the middle DBH class or higher and also will improve the accuracy of forest growing stocks. The annual carbon stock change (m³/ha/yr.) by tree species was 5.7 ± 0.74 in Pinus densiflora, 5.65 ± 0.37 in Quercus mongolica, and 9.54 ± 1.08 in Larix kaempferi by approach two, for which the annual carbon stock change (Ct/ha/yr.) was 2.28 ± 0.30 for Pinus densiflora, 3.98 ± 0.26 for Quercus mongolica, and 3.79 ± 0.43 for Larix kaempferi. According to the Paris Agreement, there is a need to improve the accuracy of greenhouse gas inventory in the forest sector. Moreover, the current estimation algorithm for stem volume of the National Forest Information System (NFIS) should be enhanced by updating the stem volume table. Then it is necessary to estimate the growing stocks based on new stem volume table. This study is a pilot study for Gangwon province, and nationwide pilot research is needed in the future.

The Petawawa Research Forest: Establishment of a remote sensing supersite

The pace of technological change in forest inventory and monitoring over the past 50 years has been remarkable, largely asa result of the increased availability of various forms of remotely sensed data. Benchmarking sites, with the requisite refer-ence and baseline data for evaluating the capacities of new technologies, algorithms, and approaches, can be extremely valu-able for sparking innovation, as well as for enabling transparent and scientifically sound assessments of technologies, newdata streams, and associated information outcomes. Herein we describe the establishment of a remote sensing supersite atthe Petawawa Research Forest (PRF) in southern Ontario, Canada, and summarize the open access datasets that have beencompiled and made available to the public. The PRF is approximately 10 000 ha in size and represents a complex assemblageof tree species and forest structures. More than 1900 data records, including multiple airborne laser scanning datasets andassociated derivatives (i.e., digital terrain model, canopy height model), airborne imagery, satellite remote sensing timeseries, and ground plot data, among others, have been made openly available for download from Canada’s National ForestInformation System. We identify issues and present opportunities associated with the establishment of a remote sensingsupersite at the PRF, as well as share some of the lessons learned to foster the establishment and open data sharing for othernational and international remote sensing supersites. The PRF supersite can be accessed from the following link: https://opendata.nfis.org/mapserver/PRF.html .

FORSAT: a 3D forest monitoring system for cover mapping and volumetric 3D change detection

ABSTRACT A 3D forest monitoring system, called FORSAT (a satellite very high resolution image processing platform for forest assessment), was developed for the extraction of 3D geometric forest information from very high resolution (VHR) satellite imagery and the automatic 3D change detection. FORSAT is composed of two complementary tasks: (1) the geometric and radiometric processing of satellite optical imagery and digital surface model (DSM) reconstruction by using a precise and robust image matching approach specially designed for VHR satellite imagery, (2) 3D surface comparison for change detection. It allows the users to import DSMs, align them using an advanced 3D surface matching approach and calculate the 3D differences and volume changes (together with precision values) between epochs. FORSAT is a single source and flexible forest information solution, allowing expert and non-expert remote sensing users to monitor forests in three and four (time) dimensions. The geometric resolution and thematic content of VHR optical imagery are sufficient for many forest information needs such as deforestation, clear-cut and fire severity mapping. The capacity and benefits of FORSAT, as a forest information system contributing to the sustainable forest management, have been tested and validated in case studies located in Austria, Switzerland and Spain.

L'approccio LiDAR/GIS per la realizzazione dell'inventario forestale e del piano selvicolturale della Foresta Presidenziale di Castelporziano

In the years 2012-16 the technical-scientific Commission of the Segretariato della Presidenza della Repubblica Italiana promoted a research project aimed at the implementation, with innovative methods, of the forest inventory and the program of silvicultural operations of the Presidential Forest of Castelporziano. This forest heritage is located in the homonymous estate between Rome and the Lazio coast and is extended on approximately 5000 hectares. The study, based on a wide use of ALS-LiDAR methods and data, led to the setting up a forest information system (inventorial and silvicultural) of the estate. The system, called SIFTeC, allows the forest managers to know and manage the heritage through fully computerized support of applications. The SIFTeC data are also available in real time in the field on smartphone and tablet.

L'utilizzo del telerilevamento a supporto della gestione forestale sostenibile. Primi risultati del progetto Fresh Life Demonstrating Remote Sensing Integration in Sustainable Forest Management (Life14_ENV/IT/000414)

Climate change is an unprecedented issue in modern times, with significant implications on the status of forest ecosystems and the multiple benefits they provide. Climate change is also a dynamic and complex issue that increases uncertainty about what future forests will look like. Because of these unpredictable effects, forest managers could benefit from monitoring, rather than modelling, tools to assess the effect of management on the status and trends of forest resources. Sustainable Forest Management is based on the principle of maintaining and enhancing the long-term health of forest ecosystems while providing environmental, economic, social, and cultural opportunities for current and future generations. The objective of the FRESh LIFE project is to demonstrate the possible integration of remote sensing technologies, in order to provide high resolution spatial information on selected SFM indicators under Forest Europe process, at the forest management unit scale. In this study we present the activities of the FRESh LIFE project carried out in a Mediterranean study area (Central Italy) to create a Forest Information System (DSS). Forest inventory data and high resolution remote sensing data acquired by drones (UAV) were used to produced maps of SFM Indicators. These maps were implemented in the Forest Information System to support forest managers in the decision making process

Determinantes para um Sistema de Informação Florestal

RESUMO Este trabalho testa a importância relativa de um grupo de temas pré-selecionados, contribuindo para a construção de um Sistema de Informações Florestais para o Brasil – SIFLOR-BR. A metodologia empregada se pauta em um conjunto de 12 módulos temáticos e 58 subtemas para serem avaliados por um grupo de pessoas (método de juízes holístico). As informações referem: 1) Cobertura florestal; 2) Florestas de produção; 3) Propriedade das terras florestais; 4) Indústria de base florestal; 5) Mercado de produtos florestais; 6) Tecnologia de produtos; 7) Biodiversidade florestal; 8) Mudanças florestais e climáticas; 9) Economia e estatística florestal; 10) Legislação florestal; 11) Certificação florestal; 12) Ensino e pesquisa florestal. Conclui-se que as principais informações que deve conter o SIFLOR concentram-se nos temas Produção e Economia florestal.

The Forest Resources Information System to Support Sustainable Forest Management: Case Study Perum Perhutani

Forest resources information system aims to provide accurate and complete information periodically to support effective and efficient decision-making process. Perum Perhutani is the oldest state-owned enterprise for forestry in Indonesia. They have been developed sustainable forest management include the information system. Although forest resources information system already exists, forest quality decreases time by time. This research study aims to improve the effectiveness of forest resources information system in Perum Perhutani related to forest resources management. This study focused the observation on 1) mechanism and supporting variables of forest resources information system and 2) influence of forest resources information system on the decision-making process. Mechanism and supporting variables of forest resources information system show how is forest resources information system been working to support the decision-making process. The research was conducted by reviewing literature and depth interviewing with key informants. The results showed that the current forest resources information system could not support sustainable forest management in Perum Perhutani. This information system has weakness in data and information, procedures, technology, and user. Decision-making process highly adopts technocratic paradigm, centralized, and technically dominated by decision-maker preferences which give direct affect on information management at the site level. Forest management unit as a manager at the site level become information provider but have no authority to use information to decide management Keywords:

Assessing the potential distribution of insect pests: case studies on large pine weevil (Hylobius abietis L) and horse‐chestnut leaf miner (Cameraria ohridella) under present and future climate conditions in European forests

Forest insect pests represent a serious threat to European forests and their negative effects could be exacerbated by climate change. This paper illustrates how species distribution modelling integrated with host tree species distribution data can be used to assess forest vulnerability to this threat. Two case studies are used: large pine weevil (Hylobius abietis L) and horse‐chestnut leaf miner (Cameraria ohridella Deschka & Dimič) both at pan‐European level. The proposed approach integrates information from different sources. Occurrence data of insect pests were collected from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), climatic variables for present climate and future scenarios were sourced, respectively, from WorldClim and from the Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), and distributional data of host tree species were obtained from the European Forest Data Centre (EFDAC), within the Forest Information System for Europe (FISE). The potential habitat of the target pests was calculated using the machine learning algorithm of Maxent model. On the one hand, the results highlight the potential of species distribution modelling as a valuable tool for decision makers. On the other hand, they stress how this approach can be limited by poor pest data availability, emphasizing the need to establish a harmonised open European database of geo‐referenced insect pest distribution data.