PathFinder - forest monitoring to contribute to climate protection

Throughout Europe forests are monitored in order to quantify forest growth. The EU-project PathFinder aims to coordinate the way data from forest inventories are shared between countries. The goal is to supply decision makers with better data on forest growth in order to reduce emissions, mitigate climate change and promote biodiversity. The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL is participating. Our overall aim is to aid Europe's transition to a climate-neutral and resilient society and economy, says Johannes Breidenbach, coordinator for EU's newly launched PathFinder project. Purposeful policy decisions are based on reliable information on the state and future development of forest resources, Breidenbach says. Switzerland's participation is important, says Marco Ferretti of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL): "Keeping our forest inventory and monitoring system up to date at European and global level is both a scientific priority and a necessity in order to obtain accurate and comparable information on the Swiss forest." - All in all, 23 research organizations across Europe take part in the four-year EU-funded PathFinder endeavor to improve Europe's forest monitoring capability - helping increase carbon storage and stop biodiversity loss in forests.