• The objective is for the platform to support the use of biological products from forests.
• The success of the platform would facilitate the generation of ecosystem resources, increase forest water and reduce fires.

In a world gripped by environmental challenges and the urgency of climate change, the management of forest products —biological goods derived from forests—is at a crossroads. Thus, the need to address the low-carbon economy and confront the complexities of climate change becomes ever more pressing. In this context, the sustainable management of natural resources becomes an unavoidable imperative.

The SMARTFORESTRY Operational Group was established last January in the Region of Murcia with the aim of creating a digital platform to support the use of forest products for a future low-carbon economy, as well as the adaptation to and mitigation of the consequences of climate change.

The platform is generated thanks to two actions:

1. A regional forest biomass model developed through the collection of forest management information from the study areas and basic geographic information.
2. Use of new technologies in the inventory and evaluation phase of forest resources in the field.

Since the project's inception, this platform has been developed with a focus on the transfer and accounting of environmental services in the context of the European Green Deal . This transfer will occur from forest land owners or managers to the " diffuse sector ," i.e., those activities not subject to greenhouse gas emission trading. The agricultural and livestock sectors, certain industries, and transportation are examples of this diffuse sector.

The platform will also boost the environmental services market by allowing the visualization of areas with carbon sequestration projects, carbon credits, biodiversity credits, biomass quantities, etc.

Global and specific objectives

The overall objectives of this project, which will run until January 2025, focus on contributing to the generation of ecosystem services in the mountains of the Region of Murcia, specifically through the production of carbon and biodiversity credits, as well as increasing forest water and reducing fires .

More specifically, the specific objectives include:

• Quantify ecosystem services.
• Propose solutions for the Green Deal in the mountains of the Region of Murcia.
• Generate employment with biomass.
• Establish a digital forestry model and platform.
• Improve competitiveness through emissions offsetting.
• Promote external investments.
• Presenting forests as a smart solution for decarbonization and rural revitalization.

Partners and financing

The 'SMARTFORESTRY Operational Group: Digitalization of forest resources to generate ecosystem services in a Green Deal scenario' is made up of Gesnature Ingeniería , the Association of Forest Owners of the Region of Murcia ( PROFOMUR ), Gestimur Ambiental and several innovation agents ( FS-Idea Consulting and Projects , Metadev and the Official College of Forestry Engineers ).

The project budget amounts to 200,000 euros, of which 126,000 (63%) come from the EAFRD Fund and 74,000 (37%) are financed by the autonomous community itself. from the Region of Murcia.