The State Forest Service of the Kyrgyz Republic is completing the 2nd National Forest Inventory (NFI #2) in Kyrgyzstan.
The purpose of the NFI #2 is to ensure the sustainable development of the forest sector, preserve biological diversity through the creation of a reliable and up–to-date information database on the state of forests, their quantitative and qualitative characteristics, the introduction of the principles of ecosystem services and adaptation to climate change.
This work has been carried out since April 2019 by the UNIQUE-CAREC consortium, which includes UNIQUE Forestry and land use GmbH (Germany) and The branch of the Regional Environmental Center in Central Asia in the Kyrgyz Republic, as part of a project of the State Forest Service of the Kyrgyz Republic with financial support by the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
UNIQUE Forestry and land use GmbH was the leader in the consortium and responsible for administrative management, development of software for field data collection and processing, decryption of satellite images and preparation of forest maps.
The CAREC branch in the Kyrgyz Republic is responsible for conducting field work, conducting trainings and seminars for specialists and stakeholders, jointly developing instructions for field work and data quality control. The 2nd NFI #2 project completed in December 2022.
The results of the 2nd NFI #2 can be useful for the following government agencies of Kyrgyzstan and other interested parties:
- Government of the Kyrgyz Republic
- Ministry of Agriculture of the Kyrgyz Republic
- Ministry of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic
- State Registration Service of the Kyrgyz Republic
- National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic
- Ministry of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic
- State Committee on Ecology and Climate
- State Forest Service
- International and regional organizations
- Non-governmental organizations
Results of the NFI #2 in the Kyrgyz Republic
Data on forests and their condition were obtained by statistical processing of field data. The update of the forest map of the republic based on the decryption of satellite images using various existing land use maps.
Field data is data collected using special tools for measuring the indicators of trees and stands. More than 2,450 plots were accessed across all forests of the republic.
Important results of the NFI #2:
- A new map of the forests of Kyrgyzstan has been compiled through the use of satellite images;
- methods of forest inventory and data quality control have been developed;
- software has been developed for collecting field data and processing and issuing results;
- updated the republic forest data: forest’s quantitative and qualitative data, their condition and ecological impact (carbon sequestration) were obtained.
All these products have been transferred to the national partners of the project, whose specialists have received appropriate training for their further use.
In 2019, methods of field work and data quality assurance were developed, which were tested and improved during field work.
The uniqueness of the NFI #2 is that the field data was filled in in electronic format and transmitted directly to the cloud server. The received data was automatically checked, and then passed the second stage of verification by a database specialist.
Field work was carried out in 2020-2021, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020 90% of field work was completed. They were held throughout the republic, and 14 field groups were involved (4 specialists in each group). The training of field teams and ensuring the quality of field data was carried out by a team of supervisors, consisting of experts from the UNIQUE-CAREC consortium and a Technical Forest Inventory Group (TTFI) established at the Forest Service. Verification, correction and primary processing of data was carried out by a group of GIS experts using the consortium database.
The processing of field data and the development of a forest map are mutually complementary important activities of NFI #2, which required more time and expert support. These works were carried out during 2022 and 2023. The development of the map of the forests of the republic was carried out on the basis of decoding satellite images (Sentinel-2, Google, Yandex and Bing), analysis of existing available cartographic materials of partners and statistically processed data of sample areas.
Below is the structure and software components for processing NFI #2 data.
On September 22, 2023, a working meeting was held with the participation of Forest Service specialists, where the Final results of the 2nd National Forest Inventory of Kyrgyzstan were presented. Following the meeting, it was decided to hold a final seminar with the participation of interested government agencies and other interested parties, where the final results of the NFI #2 will be presented and discussed.
Contact person – Kuban Matraimov, Director of the CAREC branch in Kyrgyz Republic, kmatraimov@carececo.org