Inka Bohlin

In my research I am modelling and mapping different forest variables, ecosystem services and risks based on field data (e.g. national forest inventory data) and different remote sensing data (such as airborne laser scanning data and aerial- and satellite images). These models can be used for example to make wall-to-wall maps over forest landscape or implemented to forest planning system to support decision making. Right now I am focusing creating knowledge on risk management of forest fires in Nordic forests.

I am also working as analyst in SLU Forest Damage Center with theme area Forest fires and drought, where we combile knowledge, identify knowledge gaps and develop methods to manage and prevent forest damage. My expertice is especialy in forest fires and remote sensing of forest damage and risk for damage. 

In addtion, I am an assistant coordinator in SLU:s Enviromental monitoring and assesment program - Forests (EMA-Forest) which further develops SLU's role as a competence center for Swedish and international forest resource and environmental analysis.

On-going projects

• Mitigating crown fire risk in Fennoscandia -Mechanism, predictive tools and decision making (2025-) FORMAS
• Samverkan för utvecklad infrastruktur och avancerad digitalisering i skogen (2024-) Vinnova
• Mapping risk for wind and snow damage with state-of-art remote sensing in Sweden (2023-) Skogssällskapet
• Climate adaption in front of future vegetation fires – technique, tactic and method to meet changed risk picture (2023-) MSB

Doctoral supervision

• Co-supervisor to PhD student Jacob Barry “Remote Sensing for Integrative Forest Management” (2024-)
  Co-supervisor to PhD student Fabio Carrer: “Sampling strategies for forest damages” (2024-)
  Co-supervisor to PhD student Lukas Graft: ”Samband mellan klövviltets täthet, deras foder och betesskador i produktionsskogen” (2023-)
  Co-supervisor to PhD student Cameron Pellett: “Remote sensing-based monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem services” (2022-)

Opponent/Evaluation committee

• Opponent for Noora Tienaho doctoral thesis: “Remote sensing of surface fires in boreal forests”, University of Eastern Finland (2025)

SLU's Environmental Analysis Program Forests (Program Skog) further develops SLU's role as a competence center for Swedish and international forest resource and environmental analysis. We collaborate with authorities, forestry and non-profit organizations regarding the need for new data for decision-making. Our  focus is on capturing needs in society and connecting this with the right skills at SLU to develop data collection, analysis and new ways of using existing data. 

I am teaching in the courses related to forest mensuration, inventory and remote sensing but giving also lectures on forest fires from batchelor to doctoral level courses.

I have a master (2010) and doctoral degree (2015) in Forest Sciences from the University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland. In my Phd-studies I was developing airborne laser scanning based forest inventory to support decission making in forest management. I have done my postdoc studies in SLU, where I was e.g. quantifying post-fire fallen trees using remote sensing and improving predicition and mapping berry yields in forest landscape. In 2023 I became an assosiate professor in SLU.

• 3/2024-present: Member of SNS network for wildberries
• 3/2023-present: Member of SNS network for forest and vegetation fires

Research papers

Graf, L., Bohlin, I., Hedwall, P-O., Dahlgren A. and Felton A. 2025. Mapping cervid forage in Sweden using remote sensing and national forest inventory data. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 144, 104850. 

Öhman, K., Llorente De Pellegrin, I., Fustel, T., Bohlin, I., Lämås, T. and Jeannette Eggers. 2025. Integrating wind damage vulnerability into long-term forest planning: An optimisation-based model for spatial decision support. Trees, Forests and People, 100870. 

Miina, J., Bohlin, I., Lind, T., Dahlgren, J., Härkönen, K., Packalen, T. and Tolvanen, A. 2021. Lessons learned from assessing the cover and yield of bilberry and lingonberry using the national forest inventories in Finland and Sweden. Silva Fennica 55(5): article id 10573.

Bohlin, I., Maltamo, M., Hedenås, H., Dahlgren, J. and Mehtätalo, L. 2021. Predicting bilberry and cowberry yields using airborne laser scanning and other auxiliary data combined with National Forest Inventory field plot data. Forest Ecology and Management 502,  119737.

Lindgren, N., Wästlund, A., Bohlin, I., Nyström, K., Nilsson, M. and Olsson, H. 2021. Updating of forest stand data by using recent digital photogrammetry in combination with older airborne laser scanning data. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 1-7. 

Mononen, L., Auvinen, A.-P.,  Packalen, P., Virkkala, R., Valbuena, R., Bohlin, I., Valkama, J. and Vihervaara, P. 2018. Usability of citizen science observations together with airborne laser scanning data in determining the habitat preferences of forest birds. Forest Ecology and Management 430: 498-508.

Bohlin, I., Olsson, H., Bohlin, J. and Granström, A. 2017. Quantifying post-fire fallen trees using multi-temporal lidar. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 63: 186-195.

Bohlin, J., Bohlin, I., Jonzen, J. and Nilsson, M. 2017. Mapping forest attributes using data from stereophotogrammetry of aerial images and field data from the national forest inventory. Silva Fennica 51(2): article id 2021.

Pippuri, I., Suvanto, A., Maltamo, M., Korhonen, K.T., Pitkänen, J. and Packalen, P. 2016. Classification of forest land attributes using multi-source remote sensing. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 44:11-22. Online First (25th July 2015)

Vihervaara, P., Mononen, L., Auvinen, A.P., Virkkala, R., Lü Y, Pippuri, I., Packalen, P., Valbuena, R. and Valkama, J. 2015. How to integrate remotely sensed data and biodiversity for ecosystem assessment at landscape scale. Landscape Ecology 30(3): 501-516.

Pippuri, I., Maltamo, M., Packalen, P. and Mäkitalo, J. 2013. Predicting species-specific basal areas in urban forests using airborne laser scanning and existing stand register data. European Journal of Forest Research 132 (5-6):999-1012.

Korhonen, L., Pippuri, I., Packalén, P., Heikkinen, V., Maltamo, M. and Heikkilä, J. 2013. Detection of the need for seedling stands tending using high-resolution remote sensing data. Silva Fennica 47(2): article id 952.

Packalen, P., Vauhkonen, J., Kallio, E., Peuhkurinen, J., Pitkänen, J., Pippuri, I., Strunk, J. and Maltamo, M. 2013. Predicting the spatial pattern of trees by airborne laser scanning. International Journal of Remote Sensing 34(14): 5154-5165.

Pippuri, I., Kallio, E., Maltamo, M., Peltola, H. and Packalén, P. 2012. Exploring horizontal area-based metrics to discriminate the spatial pattern of trees and need for first thinning using airborne laser scanning. Forestry 85(2): 305-314.

Reports

Bohlin I. 2024. Policy brief: Mitigating forest fires in the Nordic region through forest management. Nordic Forest research (SNS), Policy brief. 10 p.

Lindberg, E., Bohlin, I., Bohlin, J., Fransson, J., Huo, L., Nilsson, M., Persson, H. and Wallerman, J. 2022. Wallerman. Potential of mapping forest damage from remotely sensed data. Research Overview. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Resource Management, 20 p.

Miina J., Bohlin I., Lind T., Dahlgren J., Härkönen K., Packalen T., Tolvanen A. (2021). Mustikan ja puolukan peittävyyksien ja marjasatojen arviointi valtakunnan metsien inventointiaineistojen avulla Suomessa ja Ruotsissa. Metsätieteen aikakauskirja, article id 10674. 

Burman, J., Granström, A., Bohlin, I., Gradmark, P-Å. and Lejon, C. 2016. Spridningsmodeller för brand i vegetation. Test av modeller lämpliga för svenska förhållanden. Studie report. Myndigheten för samhällsskyd och beredskap, 52 p. [in Swedish]. 

Korhonen, L., Pippuri, I., Packalén, P., ja Heikkinen, V. 2012. MMM taimikkolaser-tutkimushanke: tulosraportti 2011. Julkaisussa: Itä-Suomen yliopisto, Metsäkeskus Keski-Suomi, Tapio ja Metsähallitus: Laser- ja ilmakuvaperusteinen taimikoiden inventointi (taimikkolaser). MMM:n yhteistutkimushankkeen loppuraportti (2615/311/ 2009).