Spatial analysis in the planning process of the forest ecosystems ecological management

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals highlight the sustainable management of the forests in the Goal 15 about Life on Land. This study focuses on that Goal and shapes a process for the spatiotemporal monitoring of the forest management. For the study area, which is located in the northwest Greece, forest management data such as forest stands' age, forest stocking, canopy density and stocking grade according to a previous and a recent forest management plan were used. Each forest management plan was combined with its time closest satellite image. Thus combined categories were emerged for two time periods and two forest management plans as combined results of both Remote Sensing process and the geodatabase's characteristics processed in the Geographic Information System. Also, through the spatial pattern analysis, the monitoring of the connectance over the years was achieved. Such procedures of quantification could be integrated in future forest management plans contributing in the sustainable forest management. Monitoring of the forest dynamics is a prerequisite for the ecosystem's resilience. These processes are valuable tools, enhancing also the framework between the environment, the society and the economy for a Sustainable Development.