Without reliable data, it is very difficult to conduct data-driven research and make decisions in a fast-changing environment. This limits the discovery and adoption of best practices.
The Forest Data Space (FDS) encompasses a diverse range of data including forest management data, data on climate and soil, on tree species distribution and tree health, as well as in situ sensor data.
The FDS currently covers Germany, and is planned to extend to the entirety of Europe.
The following datasets are accessible by the users:
Climate Data
The FDS gives user the opportunity to explore spatial explicit data on the past, present and future climate like for example temperature, precipitation, ice, and hot days.
Terrain Data
Terrain data includes information about elevation, slope, and aspect, which can be an integral part for forest management applications.
Soil Data
Soil data provides crucial information for forest sites’ productivity assessments and forest management. The FDS offers a variety of datasets such as soil type, information on available water and nitrogen, as well as acidity.
Surface geology
Surface geologic processes are an important part of the natural disturbance regime in the forest, affecting it at various degrees each year. The FDS offers data on erosion, landslides, and other disturbances as crucial input for forest management decisions.
Forest Inventory data
Data is derived from remote sensing data, providing information on the main European tree species like Silver Fir, European Beech, European Larch, Norway Spruce, and Scots Pine. Information includes among other species mix, vitality, calamities, height, and stem count.
Data can be improved by uploading more precise inventory data from your forest management system such as dominant species, age range, and stem count.
Forest Transformation Scenarios
The FDS provides users with a variety of forest management scenarios and climate scenarios to assess the future development of their forest stand. Data is available for the decades of 2020 to 2100.
Forest management scenarios include business-as-usual (“BAU”) management, different conversion scenarios as well as no management activity. Applicable climate scenarios range from optimistic, to realistic, to very pessimistic. Data layers that can be derived include timber volume, growth, volume, biodiversity, and harvest volume.
Data Access
Currently, the FDS provides two Data Access APIs:
Coverage API
This is a custom API providing access to forestry inventory data, climate data, soil, elevation and geology, and also the scenario data as continuous raster data.
Feature API
This API gives access to structured data, such as the stand polygons, sensor data, as well as additional data on vitality and stand properties given by a user of the system.