The Role of GIS in Assessing Reforestation Efforts Côte d'Ivoire

Faced with the degradation of timber resources due to excessive logging, the Ivorian government has implemented compensatory reforestation. After more than a decade of implementation, the challenge of locating and assessing the timber potential of these reforestation efforts has arisen. It is in this context that the present study was initiated to map and assess the reforestation projects carried out by logging companies. The methodology adopted involved mapping and inventorying reforestation plots surveyed using GPS. The resulting cartographic and structural data on the stands were modeled and processed for use in implementing a geographic information system (GIS). This study mapped 96 reforestation plots, covering an area of 1,621 ha. These plots were reforested in both classified forests (78.35%) and rural forest areas (21.65%). They are further characterized by a low success rate and a lack of silvicultural operations aimed at increasing the quality and quantity of timber potential.