In recent years, Precision Forestry has emerged as a transformative approach, leveraging advanced technologies to collect and utilize data, to optimize forest management practices for sustainability, efficiency, and productivity. Source: Timberbiz
This data-driven approach enables forest owners, including Stora Enso, to make informed decisions at a fine scale, tailoring forest management actions to specific areas or even individual trees.
Stora Enso’s Precision Forestry program uses modern tools and technology such as drones, satellites, laser scanning (lidar), and harvesting machines to collect detailed forest data for planning forestry operations and biodiversity actions.
With this granular data, the company can recognize tree species, tree height and diameter, and wood stock volume in the forest, as well as harvester location or forest damage caused by wind or insects.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is in the core of Precision Forestry. With AI, you can combine the multiple data layers in a digital Precision Forestry platform and create an accurate Digital Twin of Forest. This enables mapping, model and management of ecosystems precisely, and at the same time maximizing the value of forest assets.
There are five ways to enhance forest management with Precision Forestry.
Optimized terrain routing for forest machines
Precision Forestry and its terrain data allow the optimization and the routing of forest machines, and to find the most optimal wood storage locations along forest roadsides. When optimising routes, the key is not only to find the shortest route to minimize CO2 emissions, but also to consider biodiversity and how best to protect it.
Early detection of forest damage
With the help of data collected through satellites and drones, you can detect forest damage, such as spruce bark beetle exposure, much faster and more efficiently than the human eye. Bark beetle damage detection is in use in Stora Enso’s forest assets in Sweden. This service will be available for private forest owners in Finland during this year.
Efficient forest area mapping with drones and remote sensing
When mapping large forest areas, forestry experts can use drone pictures on a computer instead of having to map the area on foot. This greatly improves efficiency, as fixed wing drones can scan 1,000 hectares of forests per day.
In Finland, Stora Enso is currently using drones to scan forests for tree and species mapping. This helps to detect potential retention trees already before harvesting, leading to better forest management planning.
In Sweden, it is also testing drones to analyse the forest harvesting footprint after felling. Forest area mapping is efficient with drones and remote sensing
Enriched biodiversity data for Finnish private forest owners
By combining forest and biodiversity data from various sources, you can model and manage biodiversity and wood production side-by-side. This helps to ensure that the forest management decisions made today not only maximise the financial value for forest owners, but also have a positive impact on biodiversity.
In 2024, the goal is to make biodiversity data available for Finnish forest owners in the companys’s digital forest management application eMetsä.
In addition to the traditional forest data, the new biodiversity data will include, for example, information about mixed species stands that have two or tree species, and no single tree species makes up more than 65% of stand volume, and information about stands where over 50% of trees are broadleaved.
Achieving biodiversity targets requires high-quality, auditable forest data
Stora Enso has developed a science-based framework to verify its net positive impact (NPI) on biodiversity. The framework enables forecasting of biodiversity impact, which allows operations to be adapted towards a net positive goal. To achieve its NPI targets and measure progress, the company needs a wide range of auditable biodiversity data.
For example, in Sweden it is mapping standing deadwood and broadleaved trees, which are crucial for forest biodiversity. With satellite data, it can provide more precise information about the location of broadleaved trees within a forest stand, leading to better planning of protection zones and to the possibility to leave them where broadleaved trees are detected.
Continuous platform and business development
Precision Forestry represents a paradigm shift in forest management, leveraging technology to optimize productivity, conserve biodiversity, and mitigate environmental impacts. As an agile digital platform, Precision Forestry is constantly developed through several business projects. This requires close collaboration and data collected together with internal teams and external partners.
As technology continues to advance, the potential for Precision Forestry to revolutionize the way we interact with and manage forests is boundless. It offers new business initiatives, and opportunities for innovation and stewardship in the face of global environmental challenges.
“This innovative approach not only enhances the value of our forest assets but also ensures that we can achieve a balance between economic, social, and environmental goals for a sustainable future.”, concludes Jani Kaskinen, Vice President, Precision Forestry, Stora Enso.
