Short Abstract

The involvement of forest visitors in combination with AI technologies offers previously unexplored potential for forest structure identification. Citizen Scientists actively participate in forest monitoring by taking photos, which are then evaluated by AI to assess the condition of forests.

Abstract

Forests are increasingly exposed to diverse stress factors associated with climate change. Although existing monitoring programs already provide valuable information, their spatial and/or temporal significance is limited. MeineWaldKI (lit. MyForestAI) addresses this gap in research, by combining citizen science efforts and AI in a novel approach to monitor the ecological forest conditions.

MeineWaldKI is an app-based project, that explores the suitability of AI for assessing the ecological condition of forests based on photographs. In order to create a large dataset, the project team is relying on forest pictures taken by the public. A key part of the project is therefore to study how effectively citizen science can complement traditional forest monitoring and what is needed to make projects like this appealing to potential citizen scientists in across forest types. Throughout their participation, citizen scientists will be given the opportunity to gain knowledge of forest conservation and management, specifically tailored to different target groups. They are given the chance to try out gamification elements such as challenges and quizzes to test their forest knowledge, and to participate in in-person events such as guided tours and workshops. They will also be given real time AI-assisted feedback on their forest photographs, and what the forest structures recognized in the photographs may mean for forest health.

The MeineWaldKI project aims to serve as both a data collection tool and an educational platform, transforming casual forest visitors into active participants in ecological forest monitoring while also fostering environmental awareness.