Life Rebollo
Nine entities are collaborating until 2025 on the European LIFE +REB project to implement “climate-smart silviculture” in the Pyrenean oak forests of Castilla y León.
The project seeks not only to mitigate climate change and protect the biodiversity of this habitat of Community interest, but also to revitalise the rural economy and align with the major European and national environmental strategies.
TASKS CARRIED OUT
- Analysis of the ecology of the Pyrenean oak forests of Castilla y León and their disturbance regime, decline and inference of future risks.
- Analysis of the evolution of the Pyrenean oak forests of Castilla y León and their carbon stocks
- Development of an adaptive management model for the Pyrenean oak forests of Castilla y León, published at https://doi.org/10.5424/fs/2025343-21005
- Establishment of a network of permanent plots in Castilla y León for the assessment and monitoring of Pyrenean oak forests.
Singletree
The European SingleTree project seeks to transform forest management by focusing on the care and identification of individual trees through advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and remote sensing.
With experimental areas in Living Labs in northern, central and southern Europe —including Castilla y León—, the initiative aims to make forests more resilient to climate change, optimise timber traceability and quality, and boost the circular bioeconomy in rural regions in line with the European Green Deal.
TASKS CARRIED OUT
- Formulation of criteria for individual-tree management based on forest data on health, biodiversity and tree dimensions.
- Detection and measurement of external stem features to describe the internal properties of the wood.
- Implementation of open data from the South Living Lab Value Chain.
IMFLEX
The Integrated Forest Management along Complexity Gradients (IMFLEX) project develops interdisciplinary tools for integrated forest management, focusing on the role of forest structure, the promotion of complex forests and decision-making with citizen participation.
TASKS CARRIED OUT
- Design of future complex stand structures through plantations with high species diversity.
- Integration of information on structural complexity into the interactive forest mapping of the Forest Explorer (Home – Forest Explorer).
- Development of models to understand forest complexity from GEDI full-waveform data.
- Development and integration of new models for complex stands in SIMANFOR (www.simanfor.es).
- Incorporation of citizen science as a tool for participation in silvicultural decision-making.
Small4Good
The European Small4Good project helps small forest owners adopt sustainable, multifunctional management models through AI-supported digital solutions.
Using a Living Labs methodology, with labs distributed across four regions of Europe, the initiative seeks to incentivise biodiversity protection and carbon sequestration. Its goal is to facilitate a just transition to the bioeconomy, demonstrating that small forests can be profitable while also being key to curbing climate change under the European Green Deal framework.
TASKS CARRIED OUT
- Creation of the “Living Lab South”, focused on studying the role of carbon and biodiversity as ecosystem services in Mediterranean pine forests currently managed for the production of non-timber resources.
- Development and evaluation of small-scale silviculture for multifunctional management aimed at small forest owners through simulations.
- Development of a dashboard to facilitate small-scale management based on linked open data.
RETECHFOR
Promoted by Castilla y León and the Canary Islands, RETECHFOR is a strategic initiative that uses advanced technology —such as high-precision sensors, satellite platforms, drones and data analysis— to monitor forests and reduce the impact of wildfires and environmental disasters.
The project seeks to transform the Spanish forest management model and strengthen ecosystem resilience to climate change, while promoting a sustainable bioeconomy that generates economic opportunities in rural areas, in perfect harmony with the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR).
TASKS CARRIED OUT
- Validation of forest models for predicting stand characteristics in Castilla y León.
- Methodological proposal for model development using LiDAR and field data to predict forest parameters in Castilla y León.
- Development of an AI agent to improve users’ management of forest restoration information.
IN-SYLVA Europe integrates field research (IN SITU), laboratory (IN LAB), digital infrastructure (IN SILICO) and specialised training (IN EDU).
Marteloscopes
Network of marteloscopes installed in various Mediterranean forest ecosystems in Spain. These permanent training and research plots provide a realistic setting for studying silvicultural interventions, tree selection decisions, forest structure dynamics and trade-offs among ecosystem services under different ecological conditions.
Nelder Wheels
The Nelder Wheel experimental plantation network in Spain is designed to evaluate interactions among tree species, provenances and genotypes under diverse environmental conditions. These innovative circular designs make it possible to efficiently assess competition, complementarity, growth and adaptation to different planting densities and species combinations.
Permanent Plots
Network of permanent monitoring plots established in pine forests, oak forests and forest plantations in north-central Spain. These long-term experimental sites provide systematic measurements of tree growth, mortality, regeneration, stand structure and productivity, enabling the assessment of forest development under different environmental and management conditions.
Triplets
Network of experimental triplets of broadleaf and pine forests established across Spain, where the long-term dynamics of pure and mixed forest stands under different management regimes are monitored. The sites include thinning experiments designed to assess how species mixtures and stand density influence growth, productivity, stability, regeneration and ecosystem functioning. The network can be integrated with similar experimental platforms across Europe, allowing large-scale comparative analyses.
Thinning Trials
Network of long-term thinning experiments established in different forest types and plantation systems, including both pre-commercial and commercial thinning treatments. These experimental sites evaluate the effects of stand density management on tree growth, stand development, timber production, regeneration, biodiversity and forest resilience under varied environmental conditions.
Regeneration Trials
Network of observation points established in naturally regenerating forests, spanning diverse environmental conditions and management contexts. These long-term monitoring points record regeneration processes, including seedling establishment, species recruitment, survival, growth and changes in forest composition, enabling an understanding of the factors that drive the recovery and succession of natural forests.
Plantations
Network of mixed-plantation experiments established to evaluate tree- and stand-level dynamics under different species combinations and management conditions. These sites monitor growth, survival, competition, complementarity, stand structure development and ecosystem functioning over time, providing valuable insight into the performance of mixed plantations along environmental gradients.
DENDROLab
Dendrochronology and Forest Modelling Laboratory dedicated to the study of tree growth rings to understand climate change, wood development and quantitative silviculture. Equipped with a WinDendro image analyser, microscope, microtome, etc.
Forest Inventories
A space that combines the precision of classical forest inventory with the power of advanced remote sensing. Equipped with traditional tools (dendrometers, hypsometers, diameter tapes) and cutting-edge technology such as terrestrial and airborne LiDAR scanners, drones and a total station. It also has high-performance workstations for processing, 3D modelling and analysis of large volumes of data.
SIMANFOR
Simulator for Sustainable Forest Management – Interactive web platform designed for experimenting with forest management scenarios. SIMANFOR allows users to upload inventories, define management alternatives and visualise in real time the projection of dasometric, structural and carbon variables under different stand conditions. Its intuitive environment facilitates the comparison of strategies, the generation of customised reports and data-driven decision-making, making it an accessible digital laboratory for technicians, managers and researchers.
SIMANFOR
Behind the web interface lies a powerful simulation engine based on modular, open-access scripts. SIMANFOR offers a programmable environment that allows the incorporation of new growth algorithms, allometric equations, mortality models and thinning regimes. Designed for the scientific and developer community, it makes it easy to extend the simulator through open-source code, fostering collaborative innovation in forest modelling. Ideal for those who wish to explore, validate or propose new approaches within a robust, well-documented framework.
Forest Data Repository
Repository of data from the monitoring networks and forest trials documented in the IN-SITU and IN-LAB spaces. This repository integrates detailed information from marteloscopes, Nelder wheels, permanent plots and increment cores of both conifer and broadleaf species.
FOREST DATA MANAGEMENT R PACKAGES HUB
A space hosting specialised R packages: basifoR (management and processing of the National Forest Inventory), measuRing (automatic detection of ring widths in scanned images) and SEPCI (forest competition analysis). Open access for the research and professional community.
DATA COLLECTION
Hands-on learning about methodologies for capturing forest information. Covers everything from traditional inventories with dendrometers and hypsometers to advanced techniques using terrestrial and airborne LiDAR sensors. It also includes experimental approaches (density trials, thinning, silvicultural treatments) and observational studies in permanent plots, marteloscopes and monitoring networks, fostering a comprehensive view of field data acquisition.
DATA ANALYSIS
Training in techniques for processing and analysing forest information. Includes modelling of stand growth and dynamics, experimental analysis of silvicultural trials and specialised processing of large volumes of data from remote sensors (LiDAR point clouds, digital models, metrics of horizontal and vertical structure). Emphasis is placed on the use of statistical and geospatial tools to extract applied knowledge.
SIMULATION
Training in the projection of sustainable forest management scenarios using SIMANFOR. Users learn to upload inventories, define management alternatives, simulate different stand conditions and compare results in terms of production, carbon, biodiversity and structure. Adaptive management strategies are explored under different climate and market scenarios, promoting informed decision-making.
COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS
Introduction to the open-source forest software ecosystem. Includes learning and using specialised R packages such as basifoR (National Forest Inventory management), measuRing (dendrochronology) and SEPCI (analysis utilities). Participants work with their own scripts and R programming to automate workflows, customise analyses, integrate data from multiple sources and develop new functionalities, enabling users to build reproducible and extensible solutions.