Update on Forest Community of Practice

Michael BradyPoC, Forest Community of PracticeGEO User Interface Committee Meeting17-18 November 2008, Bucharest

GEOSS societal benefits and land cover and forest observations

ClimateLand change & GHG emis.Water+energy exchanges

ClimateLand change & GHG emis.Water+energy exchanges

WeatherLand–surface climate int.Vegetation characteristics

WeatherLand–surface climate int.Vegetation characteristics

HealthLand change / disease

vectors / boundary cond.

HealthLand change / disease

vectors / boundary cond.

DisastersFire monitoring

Land degradation assess.

DisastersFire monitoring

Land degradation assess.

AgricultureCultivation pattern+forestry

Land degradations

AgricultureCultivation pattern+forestry

Land degradations

EcosystemsChange environment cond.

Services + accounting

EcosystemsChange environment cond.

Services + accounting

EnergyBio-energy/biomass

Wind/hydro power assess.

EnergyBio-energy/biomass

Wind/hydro power assess.

WaterWater resources / qualityLand+water use pattern

WaterWater resources / qualityLand+water use pattern

BiodiversityEcosystem characteristics Habitats + fragmentation

BiodiversityEcosystem characteristics Habitats + fragmentation

The GEOSS for forests is incomplete• Combining remote and in situ / NFI type observations is under

utilisedEssential for accounting and tracking of forest carbon (nationally and globally)

• Engage user communities and networks not yet involved in GEO and earth observation

• Lack of co-ordinated long term observation plans

• Earth observation challenges:

varying user requirementsobservation continuity (satellite, in situ)move from research to operationsharmonization of forest informationdata access issues (regional/national data sets, in situ)capacity building and outreach

24 tasks identified with need for forest observationsTasks in all SBAsTasks linked to all user communities:

Global Change Science – 10 tasksTimber, Fuel and Fiber – 4 tasksWatershed Protection - 2 tasksBiodiversity and Conservation - 8 tasksFCCC and other Environmental Agreements - 5 tasksRecreation and Tourism - 1 taskSustainable Forest Management - 3 tasksForest Perturbations and Protection (fire, insects, disease) - 10 tasks

24 GEOSS tasks require forest observations

8 main forest tasks

1. AG-06-04 Forest Mapping and Change Monitoring2. DA-07-02 Global Land Cover3. DA-07-03 Virtual Constellations-Land Surface Imaging sub task4. DI-06-13 Implementation of a Fire Warning System at Global Level5. CL-06-03 Key Terrestrial Observations for Climate6. EC-06-07 Regional Networks for Ecosystems7. US-06-02 Pilot Communities of Practice

New task: Forest Carbon TrackingSub task under Integrated Global Carbon Observation (IGCO)

Societal Benefit Area: Agriculture (incl. forests and rangelands)

Göran Boberg and Hakan Olsson, SwedenErkki Tomppo, FinlandMichael Brady, CanadaZhiliang Zhu, USAMartin Herold and Christiane Schmullius, GOFC-GOLD

GEO Community of Practice for Forest Observations US-06-02

Objectives

1. Identify, gather, and seek agreement on user community requirements for forest observations, their present status and gaps to be filled

2. Advise the User Interface Committee, other CoPs and GEO on matters relating to forest observations and related societal benefits, and on cross-cutting issues of interest

3. Provide GEO with information about organisations and networks that could help carry out forest observation related GEO tasks

4. Support the forest observation community with information about activities and plans in the GEO process

Identify and contact key forest organizations for involvement:

UN Org, FAO Forestry Program, Forest Resource Assessment, UNFCCC, CBDRegional processes, MCPFE, Montreal processNational Forest Inventories, ENFIN, NAFC, COST E43Regional (EC/ESA GMES, i.e. GSE forest monitoring)National agencies, CFS, USFSNGOs

Work to date

Define initial focus of FCoP:• Better integration in-situ and space based forest

observations

Forest Observation User Communities

(1) Global Change Science

(2) Timber, Fuel and Fiber (incl. agro forestry)

(3) Watershed Protection

(4) Biodiversity and Conservation

(5) FCCC and other Environmental Agreements

(6) Recreation and Tourism

(7) Sustainable Forest Management

(8) Forest Perturbations and Protection (fire, insects, disease)

Membership determined by range of uses for forest observations and information

Current activities• Recruiting new members: USFS

• Populating GEO Registry: forest data and systems

• Confirming forest related tasks in new work plan (resolve absence of forest tasks in AG)

• Refining GEO 2015 targets for forest observations

• Developing generic UI process guide for upcoming events

• Engaging with members to further work plan tasks and the UIC Process:• GEOSS in the Americas Symposium, Sep 08• GOFC-GOLD Land Cover Symposium, Oct 08• 1st GEO Forest Symposium, Nov 08• Forest meeting at CEOS SIT-23, Feb 09• Canberra Carbon Workshop, Apr 09• Forest Workshop at ISRSE, May 09• 2nd Forest Symposium, Jul 09

Key 2015 GEOSS Forest Observation Targets

• Global, internationally accepted, validated, high resolution land cover datasets provided by operational programs (DA-07-02). Near real-time operational monitoring of forest and land cover change, using a combination of ground and satellite information,and internationally agreed standards (AG-06-04).

• Wildland fire is an important and widespread agent of forest damage and loss. Global systems and networks are in place, providing early warning (DI-06-13) and rapid detection (DI-06-09 geostationary fire network) of fire, using commonly understood terminology and allowing for mutual assistance across boundaries.

• Continuously monitor terrestrial carbon storage globally using established systems for forest monitoring, carbon observation and associated modeling, based on improved methods for measuring biomass and carbon fluxes, in situ and remotely.

Land cover classification maps of Canada have been registered as a GEOSS component

User interface process has been initiated

• During the August 2007 meeting of the UIC a 2-year process was agreed to identify user priorities and gaps in EO

• The process is to identify critical Earth observation priorities common to many GEOSS SBAs:– involving scientific and technical experts, – taking account of socio-economic factors, and – building on the results of existing systems’ requirements

development processes.

• Forest CoP is leading the Initiation of an Advisory Group for the forest portion of Agriculture SBA (working with Agriculture Monitoring CoP)

• Canadian Forest Service, as a contribution to the FCoP provides an analyst for

Current & future states of critical forest observation priorities

Establish a GEO process for identifying critical Earth observation priorities common to many GEOSS societal benefit areas, involving scientific and technical experts, taking account of socio-economic factors, and building on the results of existing systems’ requirements development processes.

9-Step UIC Process

1. For each of the nine GEO SBAs, UIC Members identify Advisory Groups & Analysts who identify/develop the following

2. Scope of topics for the current priority-setting activity3. Existing documents on observation priorities 4. Analytic methods and priority-setting criteria5. Priority observational needs from documents &

interviews6. Combine the information & develop a preliminary

priorities report7. Gather feedback on the preliminary report8. Perform any additional analysis9. Complete the report on Earth observation priorities

UIC Advisory Group for Agriculture SBA (AAG)

• Specialists (in user needs assessment) selected from:– GEO Forest Observations CoP– IGOL Theme (relevant parts)– GOFC-GOLD– Agricultural Monitoring Task AG-07-03– GEO Agricultural CoP

• Analyst: Part time at CFS, Canada• Point of Contact: Michael Brady

Priority observational needs from documents & interviews: Examples

GOFC-GOLD Strategy Document, 2005IGOL Report, 2007GEO Agricultural Monitoring Report, 2007GEO Forest Monitoring Symposium Report, 2009UNFCCC requirements (IPCC reporting guidelines and standards)FRA 2010 Global Survey Document, 2008GEOSS Reference Document, 2005Land Cover User Assessment Project Report, Canada, 2008ESA Globcover User Needs Report, 2008GSE Forest monitoring user assessmentReport of the 2nd West Africa Regional Network Meeting on Earth Observation and

Environmental Change, Accra, 2007CEOS COMMUNIQUÉ ON FOREST AND CARBON MONITORING, 4 March 2009• …

FCoPPriority

observational gaps and

needs

FCoPPriority

observational gaps and

needs

Next Steps

• Continue with UIC Process• Expand participation in Forest CoP• Encourage registration of forest data and EO

systems• Address task activities in new 2009-2011 GEO

Workplan• Establish website (through GEO or GOFC-GOFC)• Participate in Agriculture Monitoring CoP events• Identify future GEOSS related events where FCoP

can include UIC process and GEOSS features (portals, registry, data policy, GEONetCast, etc.)

Thank you,Questions?

Point of contact:Michael Brady, Canadian Forest Service mbrady@nrcan.gc.ca