Forest management in times of climate change
Waldinfo.NRW
The Challenge
Dealing with the current extensive damage to forests and adapting forest management to climate change will be a key challenge for forest management in the coming decades. The Waldinfo.NRW internet portal, launched at the end of 2018, is a valuable support tool in this context. It is aimed at forest owners and interested citizens and makes public information accessible digitally and interactively. The core of the portal are the diverse thematic maps with their associated geographic and factual information.
As part of the thematic expansion and technical development of the portal, one of the key challenges was to support the reforestation of damaged areas using interactive silviculture tools. Specifically, this involved providing support for the establishment of climate-stable and resilient forests based on sound, location-specific recommendations against the backdrop of different climate scenarios.
Another topic area concerned hazard control. Among other things, this involved providing certain offline functionalities for emergency services so that relevant information is accessible even when there is no network coverage.
Powerful digital tools are crucial for overcoming the major challenges of forest management in the face of climate change. With Waldinfo.NRW, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia offers all stakeholders involved in forestry and the general public an important platform with a wide range of digital maps and support tools. This will further expand digitalization in forests in North Rhine-Westphalia."
The Customer
The Ministry of Agriculture and Consumer Protection of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia has set itself the task of strengthening all functions of the forest, with a particular focus on adapting forests to climate change. The aim is to create a climate-stable and resilient mixed forest.
In this context, the ministry works closely with the state-owned companies Wald und Holz NRW (Forest and Wood NRW) and Information und Technik NRW (Information and Technology NRW). As part of the public administration, they provide marketable services to both public institutions and private companies.
The Solution
Waldinfo.NRW has been expanded to include the interactive and user-friendly “Unterstützungssystem Wiederbewaldung” (“Reforestation Support System”). Based on current soil and site maps and considering different climate scenarios, it helps users select a target mixed stand for specific forest sites. The results can be output as a report and form a crucial basis for further planning.
Furthermore, specialist information and functions for forest fire prevention have been added. Relevant Waldinfo functions and data can be selected in advance and used offline for defined areas, e.g., by rescue services.
Remote sensing data for disaster management has been updated and significantly optimized in terms of user-friendliness.
The Advantages
Support in selecting a target mixed forest stand based on different climate scenarios
Support for sustainable stand establishment
Updated remote sensing data for disaster management
New technical information and functions for forest fire prevention
Options for determining vegetation heights
Comprehensive improvements in user-friendliness
Functional enhancements including offline use
The Technology is Based On
map.apps, incl. map.apps offline PWA
ArcGIS Server
Open.NRW and GDI-NW
Summary
Expanded and improved in 2021, Waldinfo.NRW provides public information about the forests in North Rhine-Westphalia, their diverse functions, and their sustainable management. User-friendly, it provides location-specific support for the development of climate-stable, resilient forests, as well as for disaster management and hazard control. Thanks to the vast amount of information provided, it is the central portal for the many aspects of forestry – for forest owners, specialist users, and the interested public.
