Recognising the growing pressures on European forests, a community of Earth Observation (EO) experts has issued an open letter urging policymakers to fully integrate EO in the upcoming EU Forest Monitoring Law (FML). The proposed law includes the collection and sharing of timely and comparable forest data through both ground-based measurements and EO technologies.

While the role of EO is acknowledged in the current legislative discussions, there are differing opinions and misunderstandings about its full potential. This letter aims to clarify the essential contribution EO can make to a resilient and sustainable future for European forests.

Read the full letter here: Letter of EO Experts

Signed by 78 EO scientists and experts from 17 European countries, this initiative seeks to support the development of an effective and integrated forest monitoring framework within the FML.

Cover image by Anne Nygård on Unsplash