Precision forestry technology is moving forward at an amazing pace, with advancements in global positioning systems, remote sensing platforms and data sources, cloud geospatial engines, mobile GIS data collectors and advanced selective logging machinery. Without accurate and reliable vegetation inventory information, however, this new arsenal of precision forestry tools falls short for operational forestry.
Not knowing exactly where and how a specific tree stock is growing in the landscape makes it very difficult to selectively log or plant that resource for inventory supply management or, as more and more groups are exploring, to plant more of it to enhance our atmospheric carbon sinks. High-resolution inventory solutions (HRIS) are now making it possible to account for and measure growth dynamics of Earth’s trillions of trees.
New technology advancements in very-high-resolution remote sensing and geospatial analytics are emerging that now allow foresters, silviculturists and data scientists to account for and measure growth dynamics for the trillions of trees on the planet (current estimates put the global tree count at 3.04 trillion) as part of sustainable natural resource management solutions.
Faced with the challenge of creating highly accurate inventories for millions of hectares of forest managed in British Columbia, Canada, Tesera Systems created its high-resolution inventory solutions (HRIS). Based on advanced geospatial data fusion and processing methods, the resulting high-resolution inventory product combines detailed stand biometric information from ground plots, high-density airborne Lidar, multispectral aerial and/or satellite imaging, and a suite of climate, topographic and hydrological indicators. This enables the generation of statistically verifiable accuracy and precision forest attribute estimates at the microstand level (0.2-5 ha). Moreover, it produces estimates of growth and yield potential for any given stand of trees in a landscape.
Planting a trillion trees is a massive global undertaking, however, new innovations, like HRIS, will improve our ability to confidently planning and manage it.
Read the full story at GIM International.
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