Tegelsee/Hermsdorf, 27 February. A group of students spent the day conducting fieldwork in the Tegelsee and Hermsdorf forests. The students observed the collection of data on wind throws. In June 2025, the storm system ‘Ziros’ caused extensive damage to parts of the Tegel and Spandau forests. The area experienced numerous windthrow events. Berlin’s forestry department cooperated with the It4Forest team with Stefan Reder to produce inventories of the damage. The WINMOL analyser, developed in Eberswalde, analyses UAV orthomosaics and provides precise information on the spatial distribution and volume of wind-felled trees within days rather than months. The It4Forest enthusiast Stefan Reder, carried out the AI-supported analysis using the WINMOL Analyser. The Berlin Forestry Department then quickly integrated the results into its GIS-supported situation assessment and decision-making processes in the most severely affected districts of Spandau and Tegelsee.

This produced an immediate overview of the situation that had not previously been available in forest management at this level of three-dimensional detail. Using the WINMOL Analyzer, more than 22,000 fallen trees were automatically identified in the aerial mosaic images, precisely located and digitally measured. Within a few days, the research team provided situation maps showing the location of the fallen trunks. On this basis, the Berlin Forestry Department was able to recover around 5,000 m³ of damaged timber in a targeted manner.

The transfer of scientific research into the daily practice of foresters was convincing. The Berlin Forestry Department extended the cooperation to include additional forest areas which also allowed more students fieldwork as today.