The Forestry Agency is calling on local governments to conduct 3D forest surveys employing aircraft laser to get terrain information.
Data obtained by such surveys can be used for disaster responses by analyzing terrain changes after earthquakes or heavy rain, in addition to forest and road management.
The agency worked with the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan to conduct a laser survey for a terrain analysis of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture after a powerful earthquake caused landslides in a wide swath of the area in January last year.
A laser survey provides information about collapsed roads and ground fissures in places covered with woods, which are hard to observe visually.
Such a survey "allows us to detect possible locations of secondary disasters and take preventive measures," a Forestry Agency official said.
If terrain data before disasters are available, detailed comparison with postdisaster conditions can be possible.
The Ishikawa prefectural government had conducted a terrain survey of the peninsula before the Jan. 1, 2024, earthquake, and has already received postearthquake 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.
But laser surveys and analyses have been finished in only 60% of forests owned privately or by local governments as of the end of fiscal 2023. The Forestry Agency aims to raise the figure to 80% by fiscal 2026 by taking steps including providing subsidies to local governments.
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