Devising models, methods of forest health forecasting based on the Earth remote sensing technologies (KA 516)
Funded by Karelia ENPI 2007-2013

Objective of the project

To standardize age and forester-specific structure of the forest resources and ensure the inspection of the forest health conditions across the Republic of Karelia by predicting the state of the forests health on the basis of mathematical modeling and remote sensing technologies.

Main activities

• Training experts in space imagery decryption for PetrSU; • Creating an archive of satellite images of different periods of time. • Performing modelling of the forest health conditions. • Creating the Space Monitoring Centre of Forest Resources of the Republic of Karelia on the basis of Petrozavodsk State University with the aid of "Karellesproekt" and the Centre for training and retraining of experts in space images decrypting. • Laying out a series of permanent sample plots. • Creating the Centre for Comparative Forest Law on the basis of Petrozavodsk State University.

Achievements

As a result of the project complex information about the pilot region (satellite images + statistics all in electronic form) has been collected. In order to work with this information a special fiber network in the basis on "Karellesproekt" has been built. Also methods of automatic forecasting of forest health condition by means of automatic processing of Earth remote sensing imagery were developed and in the process of studying the materials major taxational characters were identified: the predominant wood species, the age, the amount of reserves, the quality. As a result of the work an algorithm of automatic classification of remote sensing images based on the compression feature space has been developed and 2 articles have been prepared for the publication in the scientific journal. Altogether 4 books and 83 articles by Russian experts were published within the project. Besides, the Centre of Space Monitoring of the Republic of Karelia was created on the basis of Karellesproekt. Karelian Regional Centre for Law and Public Policy was provided with the Centre for Comparative Forest Law, which became the primary research and development facility, focusing not only on educating Master's and post-graduate student of the PetrSU's Faculty of Law, but also on summarizing, analysing and developing legal standards and norms, which will contribute to the achievement of key national goals in social, economic and cultural spheres. Through the exchange of information and different trainings, the student’s education quality was successfully improved, an academic exchange and initiatives aimed at further collaboration between Russian and Finnish universities were developed. 75 permanent sample plots for the silvicultural assessment of implemented forest management activities were established in pilot regions. The new models and methods of forest health forecasting were examined and practical approbation of the research findings was improved. Karelian Regional Centre for Law and Public Policy was provided with the Centre for Comparative Forest Law, which became the primary research and development facility, focusing not only on educating Master's and post-graduate student of the PetrSU's Faculty of Law, but also on summarizing, analysing and developing legal standards and norms, which will contribute to the achievement of key national goals in social, economic and cultural spheres.