Using the laser technique to address the global challenges. Göran Ståhl Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

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1 Using the laser technique to address the global challenges Göran Ståhl Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

2 Overview of presentation The global challenges and lasers Current and emerging areas of application and implementation issues Conclusions

3 The global challenges? So many and so different! Look closer at global challenges related to sustainable management of ecosystems to derive goods and services

4 The laser technique? A means to obtain information to support management! Not a cure in itself!

5 Data from lasers 1. Allow new types of analyses 2. Improve our possibilities to make traditional analyses => But as with most remote sensing data there is a need to combine laser data with field data!

6 Important current and emerging areas of application Cloud cover and thickness Ice cover and thickness Terrain elevation modeling (incl. water surface and depth) Vegetation surveys a) Forest inventories b) Biomass assessments, incl REDD+ c) General vegetation cover and structure

7 Important current and emerging areas of application Ice cover and thickness Cloud cover and thickness Terrain modeling (incl. water depth) => Vegetation surveys a) Forest inventories b) Biomass and deforestation assessments, incl REDD+ c) General vegetation cover and structure

8 (a) Forest inventories Lasers for stand-level forest inventories established and fast developing! Aerial lasers combined with terrestrial lasers in the future? Lasers for national and regional level inventories? Under development!

9 Lasers in national and regional inventories A means to make assessments more costefficiently Mainly biomass-, carbon-, and timber-related issues Typically sample based laser surveys Linkage to on-going national forest inventories is an interesting possibility

10 EXAMPLE: The Hedmark County survey by Naesset et al. (Norway, 2006)

11 Laser strips and field sample plots

12 Hedmark conclusions Biomass estimates comparable to national forest inventory estimates But needs for further investigations of the optimal combination of the laser and field sampling Numerous new issues to be handled related to statistical design and laser-related model errors

13 (b) Lasers and REDD+ Many pilot studies ongoing! Forest inventory is sometimes being rediscovered as a new scientific subject area... General idea is to limit fieldwork as far as possible In REDD+, not only deforestation but also degradation is of interest

14 EXAMPLE: REDD+ pilot study in Tanzania utilising the laser technique (Naesset et al.)

15 The Liwale study area

16 Lasers to support REDD+/MRV, some observations Substantial knowledge and technological gaps in the REDD+ countries Need for appropriate links to field data Model-assisted approached Model-based approaches Focus on changes means new challenges! REDD+/MRV activities should be multipurpose and not focus too narrowly on carbon(?)

17 (c) Vegetation cover and structure The laser technique provides detailed information on vegetation cover and structure Among other topics, this is being investigated in the EMMA project (Håkan Olsson et al.) Promising results related to monitoring biodiversity proxies with lasers

18 Conclusions The laser technique is currently being used or studied in connection with several global challenges! It has a potential of being applied broadly! However, while promising it is important to remember that the technique has limitations! It provides data about a limited number of issues, combinations with other data sources needed! Broad application would require substantial investment in capacity (e.g. in REDD+ countries)

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