Cainta, Rizal — The Forest Management Bureau (FMB) conducted the 1st Cluster of the Nationwide Workshop on the Inventory of Structures within Forest Lands using Satellite Imagery Analysis, an initiative aimed at enhancing forest monitoring and management through advanced geospatial technologies. 

Held from March 25 to 28, 2025, at the Santorini Hotel in Cainta, Rizal, the workshop brought together key participants, including Regional GIS Focals from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), National Capital Region (NCR), Regions 1 to 3, CALABARZON, and MIMAROPA, alongside technical personnel from the Bureau. The event aimed to equip the Regional Offices with advanced technical expertise and skills in processing remotely sensed satellite imagery and utilizing geospatial tools such as ArcGIS for spatial analysis and Google Earth Engine for geospatial data processing. It also provided comprehensive guidance on incorporating identified structures into land cover change analysis and integrating these into the Forestry Spatial Datasets.

During the workshop, the participants successfully extracted critical data on structures—including building footprints and road networks—for each province in their respective regions. By leveraging satellite-derived indices such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Built-Up Index (NDBI), they effectively mapped structures and initiated a baseline assessment for identifying, mapping and quantifying the number and area covered by structures within forest lands for F.Y. 2025.

This milestone initiative showcased FMB’s dedication to integrate technology-driven approaches in forest management by strengthening the capacity of the Regional and Field Offices in effectively monitoring and safeguarding the country’s forest lands and forest resources.