In recent decades, the landscape of forest species distribution has experienced substantial and far-reaching alterations. Against the background of globalisation and climate change, pests and pathogens have also been impacted by this trend, spreading across biomes at an alarming rate. With the threat to Europe’s trees increasing, the European Union (EU) has stepped up its efforts to address the issue. The 2016 Regulation on protective measures against pests of plants and the classification of harmful species covered by EU emergency measures are a testament to that fact. Locally, the development of national forest repositories and citizen science methods have also contributed to more effective monitoring of plant health.

Nevertheless, more substantial, innovative and coordinated efforts will be needed to ensure that pest control in Europe’s forests is truly ubiquitous and optimal. Cognizant of this fact, a research consortium of 17 partner organisations from 10 countries has come together in a bid to chart a new path forward during the next three and a half years. The result is the FORSAID project, or FORest Surveillance with Artificial Intelligence and Digital technologies.

FORSAID’s primary objective is to develop a comprehensive framework for the early detection of pests and pathogens affecting European forest trees that relies on novel technological solutions. Its approach to this aim will be multidisciplinary, taking advantage of various spatial and temporal scales to achieve its results. In terms of the technology that will be deployed, data will be gathered via remote sensing (satellite and drone surveillance), ground sensors, AI modelling and DNA barcoding, among others. With those means at the consortium’s disposal, 3 species of fungi, 5 species of insects and 1 species of nematodes, all regulated pests under EU law, will be observed.

Additionally, the project will harness expertise gathered in the context of citizen science, thus completing a network of stakeholders that unites practitioners, researchers and decision-makers. Consultations within this group as well as a detailed economic analysis will further crystalise the detection framework and its potential for future use.

The list of FORSAID’s partner organisations is comprised of:

1. The University of Padua

2. The National Research Council of Italy

3. EFOS Information Solutions D.O.O.

4. European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation

5. European Institute of Planted Forest

6. National Institute of Agricultural and Veterinary Research

7. National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment

8. Forest Research Centre

9. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

10. Linnaeus University

11. Museum für Naturkunde - Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science

12. Pensoft Publishers

13. Slovenian Forestry Institute

14. Telespazio France SAS

15. University of Copenhagen

16. Ukrainian National Forestry University

17. Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research

Follow us on LinkedIn and Bluesky and stay tuned for more news on the project’s progress and achievements. You can also learn more about the project on our recently launched website - www.forsaid.eu.