Maintaining and improving biodiversity is the basis of the sustainable use of forests. The assessment of the impact of biodiversity actions and the targeting of actions requires up to date information. Technological innovations and development supports the knowledge creation.
Forest biodiversity can be promoted in various ways at different stages of forest development. Forest operators collect information about forests in different ways in connection with forest planning, felling and monitoring their activities. A strong knowledge base is needed both for understanding the operation’s effects and for its further development. The current solutions already enable the monitoring of several different structural features which support biodiversity. As technology develops, an even more comprehensive monitoring of biodiversity can be achieved.
Diverse data sources provide detailed knowledge
With airborne remote sensing, which provides nationwide observations, current technology already estimates the number of large retention trees spared on harvesting sites, riparian buffer zones and the structural variation of forests.
Forest machine data collected during harvesting can, in turn, be used to collect pattern level data on high biodiversity stumps, buffer zones, protective thickets and groups of retention trees. Consideration of valuable habitats can also be verified based on the positioning of the harvester and the harvester head.
Drone technology also provides detailed and diverse information on the state of structural features supporting biodiversity. Combining data collected through different methods improves and expands our overall understanding.
As monitoring technology develops, the quality of biodiversity information obtained from forests will improve. Increasing the point density of the airborne laser scanning data used in the forest inventories would enable more accurate identification of large dead wood and broad-leaved trees. In turn, laser scanners added to forest machines would allow monitoring of the location, species, diameter, and number of remaining trees in the harvesting operations. Laser scanners added to drones give an excellent opportunity to monitor specific targets.
Investing in innovations for better future
Technological advancement requires investments in research, development, and innovation work. For example, adding sensor technology to harvesters is a significant additional investment for the operator but supports more accurate reporting of operations on the long term. Investments in measuring biodiversity are of paramount importance because they help us target our activities more efficiently. This is the key towards more resilient and well growing forests, which ensures the adequacy of raw material for various wood-based products in the long run.
Biodiverse and healthy, well growing forests are more able to adapt to the changing climate and withstand new challenges it brings. Measures to strengthen the state of nature in connection of forest management have been carried out for about 30 years. At the same time, the area of protected forest has multiplied. The effects of these measures and restrictions are often not visible until after a long time. Therefore, structural and species related changes are only partially visible in our forests today. By many indicators, forest biodiversity has seen positive development in recent decades. One of the latest steps to support this development is the biodiversity road map of the wood processing industry. UNITE flagship “Forest-Human-Machine Interplay” was one of the partners of the project.
Author: Jimi Rajajärvi, Manager – Forest Policy, Finnish Forest Industries Federation