Despite the growing impact of remote sensing technology in forest inventories globally, there is a continuous need for ground measurements on sample plots. Even though the newest volume assessment methodology requires fewer sample plots, the accuracy of ground-recorded data influences the final accuracy of forest stand modeling. Therefore, effective and economically justified tools are in the continuous interest of foresters. In the presented research, a consumer-grade light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor mounted on iPad was used for forest inventory sample plot data collection—including tree location and diameter breast height. In contrast to other similar research, feasibility and user-friendliness were also documented and emphasized. The study was conducted in 63 real sample plots used for the inventory of Polish forests. In total, 776 trees were scanned in 3 types of forest stands: pine, birch, and oak. The root mean square error was 0.28 m for tree locations and 0.06 m for diameter breast height. Various additional analyses were performed to describe the usage of an iPad in tree inventories. It was contended that low-cost LiDAR scanners might be successfully used in real forest conditions and can be considered a reliable and easy-to-implement tool in forest inventory measurements.

In recent years, European cities have experienced rapid changes in their functional and spatial organisation, which have affected, among others, the natural environment, the economy and society. The intensive and often uncontrolled growth of residential development associated with suburbanisation significantly impacts areas located around urban areas. Growing investment pressures usually lead to the transformation of rural and naturally valuable areas, altering their character and functions. Solving these problems requires developing a method to determine the main directions and intensity of land use changes in the context of urbanisation pressures and sustainable spatial development. This article presents the results of a spatiotemporal analysis of the dynamics of built-up area development in rural and suburban zones, utilising Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. The study focused on the expansion of single- and multi-family housing around the city of Białystok, Poland, between 1997 and 2022. The analysis was based on spatial data, including available orthomosaics and cadastral data from the Topographic Objects Database (BDOT10k). The GIS-based analysis covered an area of nearly 2000 km² and included methods for change detection, analysis, and land cover classification. The results indicated a marked intensification in landscape transformations, particularly in transition zones between rural and urban areas. At the same time, forests and protected zones significantly influenced the direction and pace of development, acting as natural barriers limiting spatial expansion. The results indicate the need to consider environmental factors (e.g., protected areas and forests) in spatial planning processes and sustainable development policies. The study confirms the high usefulness of GIS tools in monitoring and forecasting spatial change at both the local and regional scales. This research also contributes to the discussion on urbanisation, its characteristics, causes, and consequences, and highlights the role of green spaces in limiting sprawl.

The increasing development pressure observed in rural areas leads to progressive land-use transformation and a reduction of biologically active areas (BAA). Maintaining the required share of biologically active areas is an important element of sustainable spatial planning, climate-change adaptation, and ecosystem-based urban and rural land management. However, conventional field-based assessments are time-consuming and may not accurately reflect current land-use conditions. This study evaluated the potential of high-resolution UAV-derived multispectral imagery for estimating biologically active areas on residential parcels located in rural areas under increasing development pressure. Multispectral imagery was used to calculate selected vegetation indices, while Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis and the Youden index were applied to determine optimal classification thresholds. The obtained classifications were compared with manually delineated reference data prepared for individual cadastral parcels. Among the analysed vegetation indices, NDVI and RGBVI achieved the highest agreement with the reference data and provided the most reliable estimation of biologically active areas. NDVI achieved the highest pixel-level classification accuracy, whereas RGBVI produced the lowest parcel-level area estimation errors. The results also demonstrated that ROC-based threshold selection reduced subjectivity and improved the repeatability of land-cover classification. Although classification accuracy was influenced by shadows, heterogeneous land cover, and tree canopies, the proposed workflow proved effective for parcel-scale monitoring. The developed approach can support spatial planning by enabling rapid identification of parcels where the actual share of biologically active areas may differ from planning requirements, thereby facilitating environmental monitoring, supporting sustainable spatial planning, and contributing to climate-resilient land management.

Progressive urbanization is limiting residents’ access to areas conducive to short-term psychological restoration. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of various types of waterside and wooded landscapes on people’s levels of relaxation. The study involved 68 participants (38 women and 30 men aged between 21 and 24), whose psychological responses were analyzed at five locations/conditions in Warsaw: (a) baseline (Pre-test), (b) the undeveloped part of Fort Augustówka—an artificial reservoir with natural vegetation (Nat_fort), (c) the northern part of Czerniakowskie Lake—a natural body of water with natural vegetation (Nat_lake), (d) the southern part of Czerniakowskie Lake—a natural water body subject to significant human intervention (Develop_lake); and (e) Czesław Szczubełek Park—a revitalized site of a former fort with park infrastructure (Develop_fort). The analysis utilized standardized psychometric tools (PANAS, ROS, SVS, POMS) and repeated measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA). The results of the study revealed statistically significant changes in most psychometric indicators of subjective renewal and mood compared with the baseline, although patterns varied across specific measures and locations. The highest level of short-term psychological restoration among the study participants was recorded in the southern, developed part of Czerniakowskie Lake (Develop_lake, ROS = 5.29) and in its natural part (Nat_lake, ROS = 5.08). Specifically, Develop_lake achieved significantly higher values than both fort locations, while Nat_lake scored significantly higher than the undeveloped fort, in addition to their improvements over the baseline (Pre-test, ROS = 4.15; p < 0.001). Spending time in waterside areas also led to a significant improvement in overall short-term psychological well-being through a multidimensional reduction in negative emotional states. The Total Mood Disturbance (TMD) score decreased significantly at all locations compared with the baseline (Pre-test = 36.44; p < 0.001), although only the developed section of the lake (Develop_lake, TMD = 9.16) produced a significantly greater reduction in mood disturbance than the undeveloped fort (Nat_fort, TMD = 23.66; p < 0.05; with values for Nat_lake = 18.60 and Develop_fort = 14.96). A detailed analysis of the components of the mood profile (POMS) revealed a significant decrease in levels of tension, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion across all test locations (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the Develop_lake area exhibited the highest mean levels of positive affect (PANAS Positive = 3.28) and vigor (Vigor = 2.53; p < 0.01 compared to baseline), whilst there were no statistically significant differences in subjective vitality (SVS, p = 0.053). The data collected indicate that specific combinations of landscape characteristics are associated with different psychological responses. While the presence of a body of water is beneficial, its effects can be complemented by appropriate infrastructure facilitating time spent in natural surroundings. The synergy between the natural qualities of a body of water and functional land-use planning (as found in the Develop_lake area) appears to be a factor associated with highly favorable conditions for short-term psychological restoration, effectively reducing self-reported tension and improving the self-reported mood of those using these areas. These findings provide evidence-informed propositions for urban planners and landscape architects, suggesting that skillfully combining the protection of natural assets with accessible recreational infrastructure does not diminish restorative qualities and is associated with significant benefits in terms of creating a healthy and restorative environment for young adults in our sample.