Virtual Forests
The Covid-19 pandemic is pushing European society to transformative changes in technologic, economical and social dimensions. Information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs) have been crucial for Higher Education Institutions, teachers and learners during the first covid19 wave. However, the forest sector is generally considered as late adopters in
new ICTs due to several reasons, including that the economic profitability of the sector is very low and online connectivity in the forests is poor. Both lead to a situation where the
incentives for the actors (learners, teachers, ICT services providers...) to develop ICT adapted services for the sector are low. However, the role of forest ecosystems and their
management for green development is crucial.
By fostering forest education, we are fostering different important objectives of the European Union
- Enhancing online, distance and blended learning in the forest sector
- Promoting a rapid socioeconomic recovery with special emphasis on a more resilient rural job market by introducing cutting-edge technology in forest education and, in the long-term
- Facilitating the transformation of the EU into a fair and prosperous society with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy.
The specific project objectives are to strengthen cooperation and networking between partners and other relevant organizations and stakeholders, Promote the development, testing, and implementation of innovative open educational resources and learning practices, Support education and training of professionals at different levels and career development stages to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in learning, and increase the international visibility and reputation of participating HEIs while simultaneously expanding international student access to open educational resources in a sector under-represented among online studies.
#virtualForests #education #outputs #project
Virtual Forests
Events
12/01/2022 - Valladolid, Spain
Tree monitoring Spain
Broadcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgrWQZPuCik
This event will allow to know closely a plantation located in the city of Valladolid. This urban forest is monitored through different sensors that collect and combine information about the plants and the weather and soil conditions, and offer solutions for resource management in the face of climate change.-
05/2022 - Nancy, France
Citizens in forestry France
Seminar to be held in Nancy (France) with the main objective of citizen participation, i.e. to involve citizens in forestry and natural resource management and in the search for solutions to the green challenge and climate change.
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10/2022 - Eberswalde, Germany
3D mapping and spatial analysis of forest stands Germany
This multiplying event will bring students and professionals closer to the possibilities offered by virtual visits to forests in marteloscopes and 3D maps of stands both in forestry and in forestry education itself.
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09/2022 - Hanoi, VietNam
International seminar on Forest Virtualization VietNam
A mixed international seminar open to professional, research and academic networks, which aims to disseminate the intellectual outputs of the project and increase the international visibility of VirtualForests' results.
News
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Jun 14, 2022 by laura.martin
Erasmus+ projects committed…
Erasmus+ projects committed to sustainability
RADIO Erasmus + interview with Irene Ruano, technical coordinator of the Erasmus+ Virtual Forest project (University of Valladolid). In addition, other interesting projects on sustainability and green solutions of interest with Carlos Ramos, from CEIP Francisco de Quevedo in Fuenlabrada (Madrid) and Tatiana Polo, from CEIP La Gaviota in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid).
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Feb 08, 2022 by laura.martin
Virtual Forests project…
On 12 January, the multiplier event "Internet of Trees" of the Erasmus + project Virtual Forests took place in a hybrid format in Valladolid (Spain) and online, organised by Cesefor and in collaboration with the University of Valladolid and Iufor (Sustainable Forest Management Research Institute UVa-INIA). The event focused on topics such as sensors for climate and soil data collection, data management and analysis and techniques for reforestation of degraded urban areas.
This event was attended by a hundred participants interested in urban and sensorial green infrastructure, of which 40 attended in person coming from 8 different universities, the Castilla y León forestry association (FACYLE) and entrepreneurial sector. The participants who connected remotely came from different profiles of the forestry and digitization sectors.
The event featured speakers from different initiatives such as Fernando Bezares and Rodrigo Gómez (Cesefor) and Rafa Rivera (Quantizae) who introduced sensorisation networks in forest plantations management and specific application in experimental plantations, plantations in degraded urban areas and in productive forest plantations, as well as, tools for managing the influx of visitors in protected areas.
The expectation presented by this event showed that there is a huge interest on the digitization of the sector and the possibilities within the forestry and environmental sector towards the use of sensors and data analysis techniques based on artificial intelligence, especially for the optimization of natural resources and their management. But also, the importance of strengthening cooperation, networking between universities and companies, and generating tools that combine learning, innovation and employability.
The specific objective of the multiplier event “Internet of Trees” was to outline and define the bases and contents of the toolkit that is being developed in the Intellectual Output of Virtual Forests “Internet of Trees - A sensorized forest plantation as an educational product”, including the participation and comments provided by the participants.
This Intellectual Output aims to provide a toolkit to sensorise a forest plantation or individual trees, which will be disseminated as educational material for university professors, students, forest owners and managers.
As a result of the day, it is worth highlighting the network generated around the sensorisation networks in forest plantations as for individual trees, as well as other applications in the natural environment. For this reason, and as a contribution derived from the event, an active search for the use of sensors in the natural environment will be incorporated into the Toolkit as well as a methodological guide for the installation and the analysis of data recorded remotely in the field through sensors and its usefulness for decision-making, especially in plantation management.
The replay of the event is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgrWQZPuCik&feature=youtu.be
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Oct 18, 2021 by laura.martin
Virtual Forests Multiplier…
The multiplier event "Internet of Trees" will take place on 12 January around a smart urban forest plantation, located in an industrial area of Valladolid.
Sensors for climate and soil data collection, data management and analysis and techniques for reforestation of degraded urban areas will be some of the topics of the event.
Valladolid, 12th January 2022
AGENDA
9:30h - 10h Introduction to sensorization networks in forest plantations management. Fernando Bezares, Cesefor
10h -11h Forest management IoT case studies (chestnuts plantations, resin production, protected areas access control) Fernando Bezares & Rodrigo Gómez, Cesefor
11h - 11:30h Coffee break
11:30h - 13h The QUF project: how sensorization can help to manage a non-irrigated urban forest plantation. Rafael Rivera, Quanticae
13h - 15h Lunch
15h - 17h Visit to the QUF urban forest plantation
Location: Salón de Actos. Edificio PCUVa- Campus Miguel Delibes.
Pº de Belén 9A. 47011 Valladolid, Spain.Also connection via Zoom will be available. The event will be held in English
Free access, under registration here
Please indicate whether you will attend physically or virtually.
ONLINE EVENT
Please open the YouTube chat for questions
Contact
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Email
info@virtualforests.eu