Andorra Tests LiDAR and Drones for 3D Forest Monitoring in BOSPIR-3D Pilot
Andorra's AR+I leads a cross-border pilot using advanced remote sensing to create detailed 3D maps of high-mountain forests. Funded by POCTEFA, it evaluates tools for better conservation and climate strategies in the Pyrenees.
Key Points
- AR+I coordinates BOSPIR-3D pilot in Beixalís, La Rabassa, and Arinsal sites.
- Uses terrestrial laser scanning and drone LiDAR for precise 3D models and biomass data.
- Compares digital tools against traditional inventories to assess scalability.
- Aims to boost Pyrenean forest management on biodiversity, fires, and carbon sequestration.
Andorra Recerca + Innovació (AR+I) is coordinating a pilot case study within the European BOSPIR-3D project to test digital monitoring tools in high-mountain forests. The cross-border effort, funded by the POCTEFA programme, held its first on-site session in Andorra this week after an April kick-off meeting.
Teams inspected potential study sites in Beixalís, La Rabassa, and Arinsal, selected for their challenging topography and as representative subalpine woodlands ideal for validating new technologies. Conventional forest inventories will precede data collection with advanced remote sensing to compare outcomes and assess reliability, operational feasibility, and scalability.
Core methods feature terrestrial laser scanning via LiDAR SLAM systems for high-precision 3D models of forest structure. Drones equipped with LiDAR and multispectral sensors will supplement these, yielding detailed data on tree layouts, biomass volumes, and carbon sequestration capacity. Unlike traditional manual surveys, these approaches minimise fieldwork and support remote analysis.
AR+I views the pilot as a chance to establish Andorra as a testing ground for mountain innovation, addressing global change challenges in Pyrenean forests. Outcomes aim to enhance decision-making on production, biodiversity conservation, fire prevention, and climate mitigation.
The initiative also prioritises knowledge transfer through training for forest managers and stakeholders across regions, standardising methods and boosting digital tool adoption.
Led by the Centre de Ciència i Tecnologia Forestal de Catalunya, partners include AR+I, HAZI Fundazioa, and the Institut Européen de la Forêt Cultivée.
Related Articles
Other articles from Catalan-language sources about the same story:
- El Periòdic•
Les parcel·les de Beixalís, la Rabassa i Arinsal, subjectes a sotmetre’s a tecnologies de monitoratges forestal
- Diari d'Andorra•
Andorra participa en un projecte europeu de monitoratge forestal
- Altaveu•
Andorra provarà tecnologia 3D i drons per millorar el control dels boscos d'alta muntanya