Implementation of a Forest Information System to support Sustainable Forest Management

LIFE14 ENV/IT/000414

Decision support system (Forest Information System) in support of Sustainable Forest Management

REFERENTE PROGETTO
Chirici Gherardo

SITO WEB

Development of a decision support system (Forest Information System) useful for manager entities in pursuing the objectives of Sustainable Forest Management, to cope with the widespread scarcity of data generally available for forest areas.

Data acquisition takes place through innovative methodologies for the integration of data collected on the ground with remote sensing information. Through the use of drones equipped with LiDAR and optical sensors, updated data can be acquired, useful in order to characterise the structure and conditions of forest stands at the operational scale typical of forest management.

The good practice is divided into 3 phases:

●        Acquisition of pre-existing data additionally to the newly collected ones, through inventory or remote sensing techniques.

●        Data processing to obtain useful indicators for sustainable forest management.

●        Organization of data in a Forest Information System developed in a GIS environment.

A package of georeferenced data is prepared for each demonstration area, organized so that the various layers can be viewed on any GIS software.

Geographic information systems and remote sensing are useful tools to support forest management choices and monitor the effectiveness of management through sustainable forest management indicators (SFM). 

Three regions were involved in the data collection analyses: Tuscany, Lazio and Molise. They are characterised by different forest environments, in order to verify the applicability and replicability of the methodology tested in a wide range of environmental conditions.

The application of the suggested methodologies requires specially trained personnel and specific equipment and software. At the level of drafting or renewing management plans, these methodologies have a higher initial cost than normal practices, even if they are much more precise and rapid and show great potential in the management of forest ecosystems.

From the LIFE GoProFor database, in the final part of the sheet, it is possible to download some material relating to the project, including the Layman's report and the Report for Policy Makers.