European Forest Downstream Services
EUFODOS - Improved Information on Forest Structure and Damages is a joint research and development project of 8 research institutes, companies and universities as well as 7 users from 6 European countries.
Under the three -year project period of EUFODOS (2011-2013) Down Stream Services are to be developed for effective forest damage assessment and for an operational derivation of forest parameters. The project is in the 7th Research Framework Programme of the European Union on the program line SPA.2010.1.1 -01 - promoted Stimulating the development of downstream GMES services.
Outline of the problem and project objectives
Europe's forests play an important role both for the economy as well as to maintain high environmental standards. This meaning is backed by both the environmental and economic benefits of forests, however, was exposed lately numerous pressures. From a negative impact on the forest include insect infestations, forest fires, heavy snowfall or wind throws. The local or regional authorities must respond quickly to these events. Therefore, you need quick and accurate information to determine the extent of damage. With this information, they are able to take appropriate countermeasures and to ensure an efficient and sustainable forest management as part of their planning activities. To this end, the project EUFODOS remote sensing technologies based on the current state of the science used. The satellite and laser scanning data used provide a cost effective, timely and comprehensive data collection to identify potential damages or to derive forest structures.
The European Earth monitoring program Copernicus (formerly GMES called ) provides research funds as well as data for the development of services in a variety of environment-related task areas to choose from, inter alia, in the areas of climate change and security, the data availability is fully tailored to user requirements.
Objectives are the development of services for effective forest damage assessment and an operational derivation of forest parameters based on Copernicus / GMES land / forest -core products.
Consortium, users and user community
The EUFODOS consortium consists of commercial service providers and research organizations from Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany and Italy:
- Joanneum Research (JR ), Austria, Project Coordinator
- GAF AG, Germany
- Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT ), Finland
- Department of Remote Sensing and Landscape Information Systems ( FeLis ), the Forestry Faculty of the Albert -Ludwigs- University of Freiburg, Germany
- RapidEye (RE), Germany
- European Academy of Bolzano ( EURAC), Italy
- Remote Sensing Application Centre ( ReSAC ), Bulgaria
- Umweltbundesamt GmbH, Austria
The following forest authorities and industry partners are involved as users:
- State Forestry Directorate Styria, Austria
- Thuringia Forest, Germany
- Regional Directorate of State Forests Wrocław, Poland
- Department of Forestry Planning the Bolzano Autonomous Province of South Tyrol, Italy
- Executive Forest Agency, Bulgaria
- Umweltbundesamt GmbH, Austria
- Stora Enso, Finland
Thus, the developments will conform with the requirements of the users, the users are involved in a User Forum (User Executive Body, UEB ) in the project EUFODOS. By networking service developers and users the operational realization is assured. Thus, the requirements were laid down for the products start of the project by users and implemented in the course of the project, together with the service developers through intensive cooperation. This constant discussion and feedback process ensures a successful implementation of the services in the various European test areas.
Test areas
The EUFODOS test areas are located in seven European countries in the temperate as well as in the boreal zone.
Applications and Products
In EUFODOS called Forest Downstream Services are developed, on the one hand have the collection of forest damage, and on the other hand, the collection of forest parameters for the economic assessment and the protective ability of forests to the destination. These services are urgently needed by European forest authorities and therefore develops the consortium for operational application. The produced local results can also be used for national or international coverage. These include, for example, Forest Europe ( Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe) or UNECE / FAO Forest Resource Assessment. The use of novel satellite or airborne sensors allows the inclusion of data not only cost effective but also at much shorter time intervals. Thus, for example, windthrow areas, derived as georeferenced maps from satellite images, are delivered much faster and cheaper than it previously was performed using helicopter flights or by intensive field surveys. The Forest Downstream Services thus provide users with timely and reliable information on the extent of damage on a regional scale. The generated EUFODOS products and services can be used by the user for a number of applications, among other things, they are:
- Damage assessment and initiation of follow-up: localization and identification of the areas affected, in order to initiate appropriate measures may, but also to support the calculation of compensation payments as well as in the planning of reforestation
- For the sustainable management of protected forests: To support the protection forest planning so that their function to protect settlements and infrastructure to natural hazards is ensured.
- The sustainable management of timber producing forests: For planning of harvest or for logistical organization of investment measures in managed forests.
- For reporting purposes: To update forest inventories or maps, preparation of periodic reports and statistical data (eg documentation of forest area changes ) or to the construction of forest damage information systems.
Integration of ' Core Service ' information
An important element for the successful development of the services is the integration of existing information, such as the Core Services. These data layers from the projects geoland2 or the GMES Initial Operations ( GIO ) enable optimization of processes. So has already been shown in the initial stage of the project, that an improvement in EUFODOS services in terms of quality and cost savings can be achieved through the use of this information.
Dissemination of results
Regular newsletters that are distributed to various institutions, organizations and potential users .. This and other information can be accessed through the website of the project About the project results.