info@forwards-project.eu 

Climate change is increasingly impacting forest ecosystems across Europe, highlighting the urgent need for improved forest monitoring that integrates both terrestrial and airborne techniques.

The FORBEECH project focuses on European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests in the hilly and mountainous regions of South-East Europe, where early signs of tree vitality decline have been observed.

The project enhances intensive monitoring on three long-term ICP Forests plots in Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia, representing the Alpine, Continental, and Pannonian biogeographical regions. These plots provide valuable climatic and altitudinal gradients for assessing climate impacts on beech forest physiology and resilience.

Objectives:

• Conduct parallel terrestrial and airborne measurements to link physiological data with hyperspectral vegetation indices.
• Deliver near-real-time data on tree growth, weather, and soil water status to the FORWARDS platform.
• Use existing long-term climatic and altitudinal gradients to evaluate climate impacts on beech forest physiological status and resilience.

Project leader: Tom Levanič, Slovenian Forestry Institute