Mapping Denmark's forests in new detail from space
Detailed satellite-based maps help Denmark track forest planting faster and plan for climate, biodiversity and other benefits.
Denmark plans to plant large areas of new forest. That creates a practical question: how can authorities see, early and reliably, whether new forests are being established and what value they may deliver?
The Inno4EST research project investigates how future forests can be designed to enhance climate mitigation, biodiversity, nutrient retention and recreation. As part of the project, DHI, with support from the University of Copenhagen, has developed two national map products for Denmark: one that shows where tree cover is likely to be present at 10 m resolution for 2020-2022, and one that identifies the dominant tree species.
Used together, the maps make it easier to track afforestation, spot forest change and assess whether new forests are likely to support climate, biodiversity or other land-use goals.
Challenge
As part of the political Agreement of Green Denmark, Denmark has set a target of establishing 250,000 hectares of new forest by 2045. To manage that transition well, authorities need to know two things: whether trees are actually growing in the right places, and whether those forests support the intended purpose. A forest planted mainly for carbon storage may not deliver the same value for biodiversity, water quality or recreation.
An additional challenge is to keep an overview of the establishment of new forest on national scale, which makes it harder to follow progress, identify harvested or cleared areas and adjust management in time.
Solution
DHI’s contribution to INNO4EST is to use satellite data to provide national map products that answer different but connected questions:
The tree cover map answers: where are trees likely to be present? It shows the probability of tree cover at 10 m resolution for 2020-2022, including forests, small tree patches and trees outside forests.
The tree species map answers: what kind of trees are likely to dominate? It identifies the predicted dominant tree type across Denmark in nine classes, such as beech, oak, pine and spruce.
The logic is simple: first, detect whether trees are present; then, identify the likely species; then, use that evidence to assess whether forest development matches the intended purpose.
The maps combine multi-temporal Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellite data, national elevation data and Danish National Forest Inventory data with machine-learning models. This helps detect changes that are difficult to capture with conventional methods, especially young trees that may only be a few years old.
That matters because forest purpose depends on forest composition. Tree cover alone can show progress in planting. Species information helps assess whether a forest can support one or more ecosystem objectives, such as climate regulation, biodiversity, nutrient retention and recreation.
Location:
Denmark
Related SDG(s):
SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
SDG 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Technology:
Maps available on DHI Danish Datacube
Expected results
The expected result is a shorter feedback loop for forest management. Instead of waiting many years to confirm whether new forests are developing, authorities can get earlier indications of where trees are emerging, where forest may have been removed and whether national afforestation targets are moving in the right direction.
The datasets are publicly available through Zenodo, and data are visualised on DHI's Danish Datacube, making the project’s outputs accessible for further research, planning and environmental monitoring.
For forest districts, landowners and researchers, the maps provide a shared evidence base. They show not only whether an area is becoming forest, but also what kind of forest it is likely to become. That makes planning more concrete and helps stakeholders compare the likely climate, biodiversity and other benefits of different forest choices.
Project funding
The work has been funded partly by INNO-CCUS – the Innovation Fund Denmark under subproject 2-P3 INNO4EST and partly through DHI’s research contract with the Danish Ministry of Science, Higher Education and Digital Affairs.
