Project FOCUS: operational monitoring of disturbances in European forest ecosystems

In this work, we present preliminary results of Very High Resolution and Sentinel-2 performance in the detection of the PWD, supported by laboratory and in situ spectroradiometry. An intensive ground survey campaign and multivariate laboratory analysis are also discussed. Healthy and infected trees were selected and monitored across a wilting season in a set of test sites in central Portugal. Several of the previously healthy trees were naturally infected in the course of the season, offering a unique perspective into the spectral and physiological evolution of the disease in the natural environment Monthly sample collection allowed the laboratorial analysis of multiple parameters including the quantification of pigments, phenolic compounds, and nitrates, as well as water content measurements. Correlations between remote, in situ, and laboratorial results were found and are now discussed for the first time.
Preliminary results strongly suggest high resolution satellite-based detection of wilting adult maritime pines is feasible in the context of European forests.