We, EARSC and The Green Land, investigated the benefits brought by the use of satellite imagery in managing forestry in Sweden. Our approach consisted in finding identifiable impacts for each tier of such value chain. According to our analysis, the result leads to a total direct economic benefit to Sweden of between €16.1m and €21.6m per annum. Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission will provide more frequent observations which will allow better interpretation between the passes.
Indeed, forestry is a strategic industry in Sweden. Satellite optical imagery is used by the Swedish Forest Agency (SFA) to create clear cut maps to manage the forests in Sweden. Information on the forests is essential for the SFA to be able to both detect and control illegal activities and to educate the forest owners (who hold 50% of the forests in the country) in best management practices. This Swedish model has positive impacts on timber industry and wild life preservation.
To understand better you will need to reed our report Copernicus Sentinels' Products Economic Value: A Case Study of Forest Management in Sweden ( bit.ly/1o2vFRE )
This report is the second of a series of three cases in the frame of the study Assessing the detailed economic benefits derived from Copernicus Earth Observation (EO) data within selected value chains, undertaken by EARSC under an assignment from the European Space Agency (ESA).
