Project „Waldboden 4.0“

The ground of the forest is one of the most important production factors for forestry. It forms the habitat for plants and animals and is a nutrient, water and carbon reservoir for the entire forest ecosystem. In terms of sustainable forest management, care must be taken to damage the soil as little as possible through the use of modern, heavy machinery.

Currently, the machines mostly use back roads as access and exit routes. The condition of the mostly unpaved roads depends on the weather in the recent past and other factors. When a machine is to enter a section, the driver must estimate on the basis of his experience whether the lane is usable or not. Negative consequences can arise from an incorrect estimate: On the one hand, the machine cannot be used economically and on the other hand, the sensitive ecosystem can be destroyed for a long time.

Within the framework of this project, a network of soil moisture sensors in the forest is being realised, which makes it possible to record the condition of the forest floor. By applying water balance models, it is also possible to make short-term forecasts about the future condition. This information can be used in planning tools for an economical and at the same time soil-friendly use of harvesting machines. In the long term, changes as a result of climate change can be determined via water balance regimes and intergenerational planning can be carried out with plants that manage with the available water.

The project is funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia using funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2014-2020 "Investment in Growth and Employment" under the funding code EFRE-0802052. Project partners are RWTH Aachen University, Okeanos Smart Data Solutions GmbH, and RIF Institut für Forschung und Transfer e.V.

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