Authors: Vítězslav Moudrý, Xiao Liu, Bernhard Schuldt, Matthias Forkel
Our colleague Vítězslav Moudrý from the EarthBridge project contributed as co-author to a recently published scientific article in the journal Forest Ecology and Management. The study uses data from NASA’s spaceborne lidar mission GEDI (Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation) to uncover important changes in Central European protected forests since 2019.
The research shows that while overstorey canopy cover has been declining, the understorey layer has been expanding, pointing to natural regeneration processes in response to severe droughts and bark beetle outbreaks after 2018.
Key findings:
- Overstorey canopy cover decreases by about 1.9% per year in coniferous and 1.2% per year in broadleaved forests.
- Understorey canopy cover increases across most protected areas, especially in coniferous stands.
- In coniferous forests, there is a strong negative correlation between the loss of overstorey and the growth of understorey, suggesting that canopy mortality strongly stimulates regeneration below.
This work highlights how GEDI provides a unique vertical perspective on forests – something traditional satellite products cannot capture. It opens up new opportunities for long-term monitoring of forest resilience, regeneration, and their role in the carbon cycle.
