Environment and Infrastructure
Biodiversity

Forest owner and user, Forest managers, Forest research and State and public authorities

Forests and woodlands constitute an important part of the environment in Slovakia and are vital natural features - both ecologically and economically. At present, many forests, including those in Slovakia, are impacted by climate change, invasions of pests and pathogens, and other environmental stressors contributing to their decline. Recent large-scale changes in Slovak forests request the National Forest Centre (NFC) to improve accuracy and range of data to secure sustainable development and pro-tection of existing forest ecosystems and their biodiversity. To do this, NFC needs further investments into advanced technology of data acquisition and effective tools of data processing.

The overall goal of the project is to ensure the integrity, sustainable productivity and multi-functional potential of the forest ecosystems. The objective of the project is the effective management and the protection of forests. The project will provide comprehensive user friendly geo-data to all stakeholders and the general public.

Existing map products will be reviewed and a proposal for an extended map range will be elaborated. Further, technology for forest monitoring (digital photogammetry) will be acquired, additional technology rented (LIDAR), specialist training will be done and the technology will be pilot tested in a selected area. The acquired data will be processed into multispectral imagery, orthophotomaps and other digital products available for the main stakeholders.

The expected results are:

• 70-130 forest stewardship plans based on data provided by new technology one year upon the project completion and in subsequent years
• Approx. 1000 pieces of accurate orthophotomaps based on multispectral imagery ((Panchro, Colour, Infra) and LIDAR derived DTM for approx. 5000km2 of forest