Forest CoP Presentation - Group on Earth Observations

GEO <strong>Forest</strong> Observation
Community of Practice:
Identifying Critical Earth Observations
Michael Brady, Canadian <strong>Forest</strong> Service/GOFC-GOLD
GEO User Interface Committee 13 th Meeting
15-16 November 2009, Washington

All GEOSS societal benefits areas include land
and forest observations
Climate
Land
Land
change
change
&
GHG
GHG
emis.
emis.
Water+energy
Water+energy
exchanges
exchanges
Energy
Bio-energy/biomass
Bio-energy/biomass
Wind/hydro
Wind/hydro
power
power
assess.
assess.
Health
Land
Land
change
change
/
/
disease
disease
vectors
vectors
/
/
boundary
boundary
cond.
cond.
Disasters
Water
Water
Water
resources
resources
/
/
quality
quality
Land+water
Land+water
use
use
pattern
pattern
Fire
Fire
monitoring
monitoring
Land
Land
degradation
degradation
assess.
assess.
Weather
Land–surface
Land–surface
climate
climate
int.
int.
Vegetation
Vegetation
characteristics
characteristics
Biodiversity
Ecosystem
Ecosystem
characteristics
characteristics
Habitats
Habitats
+
fragmentation
fragmentation
Ecosystems
Change
Change
environment
environment
cond.
cond.
Services
Services
+
accounting
accounting
Agriculture
Cultivation
Cultivation
pattern+forestry
pattern+forestry
Land
Land
degradations
degradations

The GEOSS for forests is incomplete
• Combining remote and in situ / NFI type
observations is under utilised
• Engage user communities and networks not yet
involved in GEO and earth observation
• Lack of co-ordinated long term observation plans
• Earth observation challenges

8 Main forest tasks
1. <strong>Forest</strong> Mapping and Change Monitoring
2. Global Land Cover
3. Virtual Constellations-Land Surface Imaging sub
task
4. Implementation of a Fire Warning System at
Global Level
5. Key Terrestrial Observations for Climate
6. Regional Networks for Ecosystems
7. Communities of Practice
8. <strong>Forest</strong> Carbon Tracking (new)

GEO Community of Practice for <strong>Forest</strong>
Observations US-06-02
1. Provide a forum for communication and coordination of the teams
involved in the GEO work plan tasks related to forest observations
2. Identify, gather, and seek agreement on user community
requirements for forest observations, their present status and gaps
to be filled
3. Advise the User Interface Committee, other <strong>CoP</strong>s and GEO on
matters relating to forest observations and related societal benefits,
and on cross-cutting issues of interest
4. Support the forest observation community with information about
activities and plans in the GEO process

Role of Global Observing Systems: GTOS/GOFC-GOLD
• Global Observation for <strong>Forest</strong> and Land
Cover Dynamics is a coordinated
international effort to ensure a continuous
program of space-based and on-theground
forest and land cover observations
• A network of participants implementing
coordinated research, demonstration and
operational projects
• A vision to share data, information and
knowledge, leading to informed action and
decision support
• A long term process of building an
improved match between Observations,
Data Products and User Needs
• A science panel of the Global Terrestrial
Observing System
• A strong contributor to the GEO forestrelated
tasks and mechanisms

<strong>Forest</strong> 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 <strong>Forest</strong> Management
(8) <strong>Forest</strong> Perturbations and Protection (fire, insects, disease)

Current & future states of critical forest
observation priorities

33rd International
Symposium on
Remote
Sensing of
Environment,
TS-5-3
4-8 May 2009,
Stresa, Italy
Critical Observations

Continuing the process of identifying critical observations
<strong>Forest</strong> Carbon Tracking CL-09-03b
A New GEO sub-Task in 2009-2011 WP
Demonstrate to climate negotiators that coordinated Earth
Observations can provide the basis for reliable information services of
suitable consistency, accuracy and continuity to support <strong>Forest</strong>
Carbon Tracking, leading to eventual establishment of a network of
national forest carbon monitoring systems
Leads:
• Australia (Department of Climate Change & CSIRO)
• Japan (JAXA)
• Norway (NSC)
• Canada (NRCan, CSA)
• CEOS (NSC, CSIRO, JAXA, ESA)
• FAO
• GTOS (GOFC-GOLD)
• EC JRC

Next Steps
• Consolidate participation in <strong>Forest</strong> <strong>CoP</strong> amongst 8
forest tasks
• Encourage registration of forest data and EO
systems
• Consolidate GEO F<strong>CoP</strong> web page
• Continue with UIC process and reporting; collaborate
with Agriculture Monitoring <strong>CoP</strong> to fully address
Agriculture SBA

Recent and upcoming forest events
• GEOSS in the Americas Symposium, Panama, Sep 08
• GOFC-GOLD Land Cover Symposium, Germany, Oct 08
• 1 st GEO <strong>Forest</strong> Symposium, Brazil, Nov 08
• Task meetings at CEOS SIT-23, USA, Feb 09
• Task workshop, Australia, Mar 09
• <strong>Forest</strong> workshop & papers at ISRSE, Italy, May 09
• Task contributions at UNFCCC SBSTA, Germany, Jun 09
• GOFC-GOLD Biomass Workshop, USA, Jun 09
• 2 nd GEO <strong>Forest</strong> Symposium, Thailand, Jul 09
• Meetings with Princes’ Rainforest Project & Google, UK, Oct 09
• GEO Plenary, USA, Nov 09
• UNFCCC <strong>CoP</strong>, Denmark, Dec 09
• <strong>Forest</strong> Carbon Tracking Data Summit, Apr 10

Thank you,
Questions?
GEO <strong>Forest</strong> Community of Practice
Point of contact:
Michael Brady, Canadian <strong>Forest</strong> Service
mbrady@nrcan.gc.ca