Page 40 - Green knowledge 2022

SR16 now covers all of Norway
Information about forests is important for a forest management that considers the values of biodiversity and bioeconomy. The recently updated forest resource map SR16 will be a great benefit to a sustainable forest management.
SR16 is a comprehensive digital forest resource map that provides an overview of the extent of the forest and properties of Norway’s land resources, including for example tree species, average tree height and timber volume. The map service is available from NIBIO’s Kilden map solution, under the Forest Portal.
To map forest attributes in Norway, researchers at NIBIO have used a combination of forest recordings on the ground (Norway’s National Forest Inventory), remotely sensed data from satellite images (Senti- nel-2), laser scans from aircraft and image matching from the Norwegian Mapping Authority.
One who has taken part in the development of the new forest resource maps, is Johannes Breidenbach, Research Professor at NIBIO. He explains that up until to now, around 80 per cent of forest land has been included in the map solution. The new version of SR16 achieves 100 per cent coverage.
“This means that the maps not only can reveal information about the whole country, but also about very local conditions,” explains Breidenbach.
According to NIBIO-colleague Bjørn Tobias Borchse- nius, the forest resource maps make it easier for forest owners to know where logging has taken place and to plan future logging. Many request informa- tion about the forest to obtain an overview of the stock in the forest, and to plan logging, thinning and to make other operational decisions.
“And if a municipality for example wants to develop its own climate policy, it can use SR16 to decide how to formulate local decisions. The county governors also need this information,” says Borchsenius.
Forest information is also important in relation to avalanches or landslides, and data from SR16 can be used to prepare due diligence maps.
Photo: Erling Fløistad
Purpose: SR16 is a comprehensive digital forest resource map that provides an overview of the extent of the forest and properties of Norway’s land resources, trees species, average height and timber volume.
Contact: Research Professor Johannes Breidenbach. E-mail: Johannes.breidenbach@nibio.no, phone: +47 974 77 985.
Division of Forest and Forest Resources
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