NFI plot based analysis of forest structure in the mountain forests of the Alps

62-63

Artikel aus einer Zeitschrift

200206859

Forest Research and Cooperation for Sustainable Development: XXV IUFRO World Congress, 29 sept - 5 October 2019, Curitiba, PR, Brazil: Abstracts ; Jrg. 39 ; Special Issue (2019) , 62-63

Large parts of the Alpine forest are forest protecting people, settlements and transport routes andindustrial installations against natural disasters such as landslides, avalanches, rock avalanches and rock fall. Insufficient utilisation of wood and management causes an imbalanced age structure inforests and compromises the protection against natural hazards. Reliable informaiton on the structure of these forests which are also under considerable use as recreational space and represent valuable landscape elements in a touristic region is of high priority and a precondition for a balanced and efficient management of the functions carried by these forests. In this multi-national forest inventory cooperation, we demonstrate the analysis of the forest structure based on NFI field plots
with associated harmonised target variables. At the estimation stage, the NFI plots from Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland are combined with remote sensing auxiliary data from different sources. Model-assisted GREG regressione stimators which optionally borrow strength from outside the estimation region are applied. The analysis software is implemented as a PostgreSQL extension which was assembled within the Horizon 2020 Diabolo project. The system is both genric and flexible: in the handling NFI plot data sampled accordign to various designs, in the integration of auxiliary data, in the selection of estimators and in the defintion of arbitrary trans-national sub-regions of interest. The analysis of forest structures across the Alpine space provides a common
information basis for an improved management of the mountain forest in the Alps.