Advancing EO and Copernicus solutions for sustainable forestry with EUSPA

19 December 2024 Event report

Last month, we collaborated with EUSPA, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme, to host an online workshop to showcase how EU Space data, particularly Copernicus, can support sustainable forestry practices.

The event brought together a diverse group of participants from our global network, alongside 11 key EU Earth Observation (EO) service providers who presented innovative solutions to address some of the most pressing challenges within the forestry sector.

“Alongside PEFC Brasil and PEFC Italy, we have been collaborating with EUSPA on a project that evolved throughout 2024 from a narrow scope looking at EUDR compliance and EO and geolocation data, to a much broader view of what EO technology can offer forestry and forestry certification,” explained Rob Shaw, Head of Standards and Integrity and PEFC International. 

“The culminating workshop in November gave PEFC and PEFC members plenty to think about going forwards into 2025 and beyond to start to include EO and AI and big data potential into PEFC systems.”

The workshop

Ahead of the workshop, EUSPA and PEFC identified key areas in which EO can play a major role, such as carbon accounting, and deforestation assessment. During the event, the EO companies demonstrated the capabilities of Copernicus and EO-based services over a set of Forestry plots, to highlight how EO tools can tackle these challenges in real-world scenarios.

The workshop also provided an interactive space for discussion. Through dedicated Q&A sessions and a panel discussion, participants had the opportunity to engage directly with the EO providers, exploring the details of their solutions. The exchange of ideas allowed insights into emerging trends in the forestry sector, as well as discussions on future applications of EO to support long-term sustainability goals.

A key takeaway from the event was the demonstrated potential of EO in addressing critical forestry challenges. Copernicus emerged as a powerful enabler of EO-based solutions, providing a robust foundation for analyses. These solutions can be further enhanced with in-situ data and higher-resolution imagery.

About EUSPA

EUSPA is committed to continue supporting initiatives that harness the capabilities of Copernicus to drive innovation, foster transparency, and promote sustainability in key sectors like forestry. The successful workshop was possible thanks to the involvement of the EO service providers Airbus, Beetle ForTech, CollectiveCrunch, CoolX, EarthPulse, Föra, ForestRadar, GMV, Sitowise, Space4Good, and Telespazio, as well as all the participants.

This article was drafted based on the original by EUSPA, available here.

You can find out more about EUSPA on their website: http://www.euspa.europa.eu/