PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Białowieża Forest (Puszcza Białowieska) is the last natural forest in Central Europe. Around half of its area is currently protected and excluded from direct human influence. No forest management is carried out in stands of trees older than 100 years. Therefore, the Białowieża forest is a unique nature site, because it is subject to only marginal anthropogenic influence. The determination of forest dynamics, such as the changing competitiveness of tree species with different thermal requirements, indirectly reveals current trends in climate change. The observed changes in the tree species composition of semi-natural forests can therefore be the basis for adaptation of forest management practices to changing climate conditions and for conservation of valuable natural habitats that are sensitive to climate change.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of the ForBioSensing PL project was to develop and apply a monitoring methodology for large forest areas using innovative techniques. This would involve point-scale monitoring (field measurements on sample plots) through to large-scale area monitoring using remote sensing techniques. This information would improve the efficiency of operations carried out for forest ecosystems protection and would further the study of forest biodiversity. Identification of changes in forest structure and tree species composition that occur in the forest stands was expected to help to identify the determinants and dynamics of these processes, and help national park and forest district managers implement relevant protection activities. Therefore, the project was expected to contribute to modifications of forest management and nature conservation practices in Polish forests that take into account projected climate change.
The main project objectives were:
- Monitoring of stand dynamics in Białowieża forest, including analysis of tree species composition, monitoring of forest stand changes caused by spruce and ash dieback, and hornbeam expansion;
- Analysis of natural forest regeneration and rejuvenation, including the role of gaps; and
- Identification of the combination of various remote sensing techniques and datasets that would be optimal for forest monitoring needs.
RESULTS
The ForBioSensing PL project developed an innovative remote sensing method for monitoring a large forest area, such as the Białowieża Forest, with a view to identifying changes in the forest structure and tree species composition. This approach was able to identify individual trees and assess their health status using satellite and aerial images.
The project achieved this goal by integrating the remote sensing data with measurements taken on the ground, thus enabling extensive maps to be created. It also collected reference data to help determine the health of trees. To verify the results of the aerial observation the project team inventoried 685 permanent sample plots, which served as ground-based monitoring plots. They included 355 plots distributed in a 1 300m by 1 300m grid, 160 objectively distributed research plots in the Białowieża national park strict reserve (in a grid of around 267m by 1 067m) with longer measurement histories, and 170 subjectively distributed research plots of the Forest Research Institute in the best preserved fragments of the Polish part of the Białowieża Forest.
The project team obtained data from 100 dendrometric samples and almost 900 additional monitoring samples in 2015, 2017 and 2019. Additionally, the beneficiary collected ground-based laser scanner data and hemispherical images from 100 plots for those years. Remote sensing data were also obtained: three sets of airborne laser scanner data, five sets of hyperspectral data and 14 sets of multispectral data. In addition, 278 dendrometers were installed to continuously measure the current radial growth of trees in the Białowieża Forest.
The monitoring results improved understanding of the processes taking place in the Białowieża Forest and the changes that occur in spruce stands due to climate change. Moreover, monitoring of forest stand changes caused by spruce and ash dieback and the expansion of the bark beetle will enable more effective methods of protecting the forest and the tree species to be developed.
The beneficiary provided the obtained results free of charge to more 80 interested institutions, including public administration, scientific units, forest-related institutions and NGOs. Information about the project activities were widely disseminated and reached a documented number of almost 5 million recipients. The results were published in 27 scientific articles in well-known scientific journals, while a monograph on the Białowieża Forest was also published (500 copies in Polish and in 500 copies in English, with both versions are available online on the project website) along with 400-page book, The current status of Białowieża Forest based on the results of the LIFE + ForBioSensing project. The book explains the processes of changes taking place in Białowieża Forest, including the effects of climate change. The project also produced the map of the plant communities in the Białowieża Primeval Forest, covering information on growing stock and biomass, canopy cover and its diversity, forest diversity, tree species composition, vertical structure, biomass, number of dead standing trees, location and size of gaps, location and size of dying spruce stands, locations of ash dieback, natural forest regeneration dynamics, quantity of lying dead wood, large-scale spatial distribution of forest stands in different age classes and of different structure. The maps are available on the geoportal launched by the beneficiary.
