A Digital Twin Framework For Sustainable Forest Management

作者：Riccardo Fornaro, Francesco Giannino, Fabrizio Cartenì, Duncan Nathaniel Heathfield, Valerio Minopoli, Luigi Saulino · 发表于：Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.5281/zenodo.20524865 · 研究领域：Greenhouse Technology and Climate Control、Forest ecology and management、Forest Management and Policy

ABSTRACTIncreasing natural and anthropogenic pressures make sustainable forest management a critical challenge. Modern and advanced tools that integrate modelling of ecological processes and management actions into a single environment represent a valuable solution to enable adaptive management under increasing disturbance pressures. Hybrid modelling approaches and Digital Twins (DTs) offer a promising framework for simulating management options and forest stand dynamics supporting decision-making and long-term forest planning.Aiming to develop a hybrid forest growth model, we used both differential equation and agent-based approach, coupled with an immersive three-dimensional environment, in which we simulate individual tree growth, spatial competition, and stand structure dynamics in a managed conifer forest, while enabling interactive simulation of management scenarios and their effects.Tree growth is represented through a system of ordinary differential equations, describing biomass accumulation and height increment at the individual level. Tree-to-tree competition is modelled by Zones of Influence (ZOI) where ZOI radius depends on tree biomass and ZOI magnitude depends on tree height. Single tree variables (e.g. biomass, total height) are used to reconstruct architectural attributes (e.g. stem diameter, crown dimensions) via allometric relationships and integrated into an interactive 3D Digital Twin environment, where users can visualize stand dynamics and apply differen...