The FlorestaSC

The Forest and Floristic Inventory of Santa Catarina (IFFSC) aims to gather updated, reliable and detailed quantitative and qualitative information about Santa Catarina's forests. 

The IFFSC was created to generate a solid database to:

• Support the formulation of public policies for conservation and use of the state's forests;

• Provide information to the economic-ecological zoning for forestry activities conducted in the state;

• Generate information to update lists of endangered and rare plant species;

• Support the identification and definition of priority areas for conservation and restoration of degraded ecosystems.

From the assessments carried out by the IFFSC – 1) Forest inventory, 2) Forest cover monitoring, 3) Allometry, 4) Herbarium, 5) Genetic diversity, and 6) Socio-environmental survey –, the following products are derived:

1) Reports of species composition, forest structure, and forest dynamics. Field data are obtained by means of a systematic and continuous inventory (see  publications and products);

2) Maps of Santa Catarina's native forest cover, as well as other land uses; for this, remote sensing techniques are employed (see here);

3) Generic and species-specific tree height, volume and biomass models (see here);

4) Vast plant collections deposited at Dr. Roberto Miguel Klein Herbarium and in virtual databases (see here);

5) Reports of genetic diversity and population structure of several endangered species (see here);

6) Overview of the perception and actual uses of forest resources by rural populations (see here);

Since 2007, the IFFSC has been applying a methodology compatible with the Brazilian National Forest Inventory (NFI-Brazil). However, some adaptations were made to meet specific aims required by the state. The inventory is based on a multiple occasion systematic sampling, repeated every five years, aimed to provide information about forest conservation and forest cover changes over time. Currently, it is a program of the state's government.

The first field measurement (Cycle 1) took place between the years 2007 and 2011; 597 sample plots distributed in the state were surveyed. The second measurement of the sample plots (Cycle 2) started in 2014 and is expected to be completed in 5 years; ~ 20% of the sample plots are being revisited each year.

The IFFSC is conducted by Universidade Regional de Blumenau (FURB) in partnership with Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), and Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária e Extensão Rural de Santa Catarina (Epagri).

It is funded by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Estado de Santa Catarina (FAPESC), Santa Catarina State Government, and Brazilian Forest Service (SFB).

The information generated by the IFFSC is public and can be obtained in publications, datasets e systems.

Click here to access the IFFSC's books and other publications (e.g., brochures, scientific publications, and newsletters). 

Newsletter 15 – Content: The 2nd measurement cycle; exhibitions aimed to disclose the results to the public; remote sensing monitoring project of the state's forest cover.