From communities to individuals: Using remote sensing to inform and monitor woodland restoration

The benefits of using remote sensing technologies for informing and monitoring ecological restoration of forests from the community to the individual are presented. At the community level, we link remotely sensed measures of structural complexity with animal behaviour. At the plot level, we monitor the return of vegetation structure and ecosystem services (e.g. carbon sequestration) using data-rich three-dimensional point clouds. At the individual-level, we use high-resolution images to accurately classify plants to species and provenance and show genetic-based variation in canopy structural traits. To facilitate the wider use of remote sensing in restoration, we discuss the challenges that remain to be resolved.

Automated summary

Using remote sensing technologies can assist in ecological restoration of forests at various levels, from observing structural complexity and animal behavior at the community level, monitoring vegetation structure and ecosystem services at plot level, to accurately classifying plants and showing genetic variations at the individual level. However, challenges remain to be addressed to promote wider use of remote sensing in restoration efforts.