Immersive Forest: Using VR to communicate the impacts of climate change and management practices on future forests
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The expected changes in the Earth’s climate could affect substantially how forests contribute to climate mitigation. Education, as a pillar for development and growth, needs practical tools to help future forestry experts better understand the underlying mechanisms and shape adaptive forest management strategies. Three-dimensional (3D) visualization and Virtual Reality (VR) have a great potential to help scientific knowledge transfer and enhance learning in forest management and planning. We developed a software system able to project forest stands under climate change uncertainty, by coupling a forest dynamics and ecosystem services simulator with VR technology.<br /> <br /> As a case study, we selected representative forest stands along the climatic gradient of Catalonia, Spain, and projected them 100 years into the future under two climate change scenarios and increasing thinning intensities. Forest dynamics simulations were based on SORTIE-ND spatially explicit process-based model, while ecosystem services estimations relied on statistical models from the literature. The simulated outputs were translated into high fidelity 3D models and visualized in the VR platform developed in the Unity game engine. The VR application allows navigation through different stages of the simulation, exploring the impacts of management prescriptions and climate change scenarios on individual trees and forest ecosystem services.<br /> <br /> Our approach can serve as an excellent exercise for forest management practitioners and forestry students. While we specifically focus on its educational potential, the VR tool can facilitate communication between experts and the public on the interactive effects of climate change and management actions on forested areas.
Keywords: Climate change, Sustainable forest management, Adaptive and integrated management, Education
ID: 3487007