Japan is using aircraft lasers to 3D survey its forests to disaster-proof forest terrain from earthquakes, fires and heavy rain. That is according to the Japanese Forestry Agency, which is working with the country’s Geospatial Information Agency to laser survey the Noto Peninsula in the Ishikawa Prefecture – an area that 12 months ago was rocked by a 7.5 earthquake, causing widespread landslides in the forests.
As reported by the Japan Times, the laser surveys provide information about collapsed roads and ground fissures in places covered with wood, which are hard to observe visually: “This allows us to detect possible locations of secondary disasters and take preventive measures,” a Forestry Agency official said, before adding, “a detailed comparison with postdisaster conditions can be possible if terrain data before disasters are available.”
Wood Central understands that the Ishikawa prefectural government conducted a terrain survey of the peninsula before last year’s earthquake and has already received post-earthquake data from the Forestry Agency: “We will use the data for our forest management as they allow us to grasp damaged locations and their severity,” a prefectural official said.
To date, the Forestry Agency has conducted laser surveys and analysed 60% of the Japanese forests, which will grow to 80% by the end of 2026, with the government providing subsidies to local governments.
- Click here for Wood Central’s special feature to learn more about Japanese policymakers’ steps to make their buildings “quake-proof.”
