Cork-based forestry management software company, Treemetrics has been selected to participate in an EU climate neutrality project which aims to mitigate climate change by better monitoring forests.
The €6.3 million PathFinder project aims to aid Europe’s transition to a climate-neutral and resilient society, using information provided by the Irish software company.
A total of 23 European research organisations and forest inventory agencies are taking part in the four-year project to help measure carbon storage and biodiversity in forests.
Part of the objective of the programme is to advance plot-based measurements and satellite data to enhance policy decision making by providing more timely and reliable information.
Chief operating officer at Treemetrics, Garret Mullooly said PathFinder aims to demonstrate digital twins of trees and ecosystems in super-plots spread across the different European forest types. He explained:
“This is important because coherent forest measurement and monitoring will ensure up-to-date and consistent information about greenhouse gas emissions from forests across Europe.”
PathFinder is divided into six work programmes: Field data collection; mapping and estimation platform for Land Use, Land-use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) and biodiversity monitoring; forest and land management scenarios; policy and pathway assessment; communication, dissemination and exploitation; and project management.
Running from September 2022 to August 2026, the project is funded through the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme, and managed by Prof. Johannes Breidenbach of the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research.
Treemetrics
Treemetrics has been providing technology-based solutions to the forestry industry for the past eighteen years in over forty countries by utilising mobile applications, remote sensing, data mining and satellite communications technology.
The company previously signed a €1.2 million contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for utilising satellite imaging and forest measurement technology to provide more accurate forest carbon credit estimates.
The global demand for forest carbon credits is growing larger every year, driven by an increasing demand from companies and individuals to reduce their carbon footprint, according to the company.
Treemetrics, which was founded in 2005 by Enda Kane and Garret Mullooly, has developed new technology to replace traditional forestry methods which have been in place for over one hundred years.