Concepts and tools to link remote sensing and ground-based monitoring of European forests – D2.1

This report presents approaches developed within the FORWARDS project WP2 to bridge ground-based forest monitoring and remote sensing. Advances in proximal methods, including improved dendrometer measurements, meteorological integration, and terrestrial laser scanning, have contributed towards enhanced data quality and comparability. Physiological links between leaf-level traits and drone-based optical data demonstrate that vegetation indices (VIs) can capture drought impacts and recovery at the tree scale. Scaling analyses reveal limitations in applying optical indicators across spatial resolutions and forest types, though relationships between VIs and water availability still show promise at landscape scales. Satellite-based approaches, including temporal autocorrelation, can detect early resilience loss and flag forest areas at risk. Within such targeted risk areas, satellite-based VIs could be directly correlated with plot-scale measurements or integrated within models, for which we demonstrate examples. Machine learning models integrating data from the ground and gridded meteorological data, in future also remote sensing data, can provide complementary wall-to-wall insights, e.g. on tree water deficit. Together, these approaches support identification of forest vulnerability and prioritization of monitoring efforts across Europe

Data assimilation routines and processing tools (D3.2)

The FORWARDS project is developing a European observatory to assess forest vulnerability to climate change and support Climate-Smart Forestry (CSF) and restoration practices. WP3 focuses on identifying and evaluating effective restoration and CSF management options. The deliverable introduces tools and data assimilation routines that use observations and projections to assess management effectiveness. Two web applications, CSF-Ind and CSF-AT, quantify CSF indicators at multiple scales, supporting forest managers and policymakers. Additionally, new routines integrate field and remote-sensing data to fill information gaps and enable forest modelling under future scenarios. Improvements to process-based modelling using updated disturbance and harvest data are also presented.

This deliverable has not yet been officially approved by the European Commission and should be considered a draft.

Report on forest manager/owners and society on CSF and restoration (D4.2)

The FORWARDS project examined how forest professionals and European citizens perceive climate-smart forestry and restoration across 13 countries. Findings show that both groups greatly value forests’ ecological functions, such as wildlife habitats, biodiversity, and environmental regulation. The main difference concerns the importance of carbon storage, which is considered less essential by the general public, who prefers cultural services like aesthetics and recreation. The report also highlights that management decisions and social acceptance depend not only on values but also on knowledge, trust, social norms, and financial support.

DISCLAIMER: This deliverable has not yet been officially approved by the European Commission and should be considered a draft.

Impact Evaluation Plan (D6.2)

Plan for Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation (D6.1)