Short description
The assessment of CIR aerial photographs has been a methodical means for environmental and particularly vegetation condition monitoring for decades. In connection with terrestrial surveys, it offers comprehensive information regarding degree and spatial distribution of changes and of damage of the vegetation, conditioned by various causes such as phytotoxic immissions or climatic influences, both on smaller areas and in larger regions. This Standard provides the interpretation keys for the assessment of crown conditions based on analogous and digital aerial photographs for the tree species Norway spruce, beech, oak and pine. The keys offer a uniform nomenclature and structure as well as harmonised assessment and weight of the individual interpretation characteristics. Based on colour and structure characteristics, the interpretation keys allow for an objective designation of the crown condition of individual trees. Thus, they ensure comparability of assessment results of different times of survey or different survey areas. This Standard is intended for experts with experience in the interpretation of aerial photographs and also with knowledge of forestry. It is applied in public and private forest management and by environmental and planning authorities as well as by service providers in the areas forest and environment.