Another event record with over 300 delegates attending the end of year technology series, ForestTECH 2023 run by the Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA). Because of recent Covid travel and meeting restrictions, the ForestTECH series ran for the first time in three years in both Rotorua, New Zealand and Melbourne, Australia. The industry (resource managers, inventory foresters, data capture, mapping …

Scion’s leadership in forestry science, bioplastics research and biotechnology has been celebrated by Scion and its peers at the Science New Zealand Awards. Scientists from all seven Crown Research Institutes and Callaghan Innovation were represented at the ceremony held in Parliament on Tuesday (6 December) night. The awards are in three categories – Early Career Researcher, Lifetime Achievement, and Team. …

• Climate scientists and data engineers have developed a new digital platform billed as the first-ever global tool for accurately calculating the carbon stored in every tree on the planet. • Founded on two decades of research and development, the new platform from nonprofit CTrees leverages artificial intelligence-enabled satellite datasets to give users a near-real-time picture of forest carbon storage …

NASA plan to scrap device would curtail important climate and biodiversity data, researchers say. Since April 2019, a fridge-size instrument attached to the International Space Station (ISS) has tickled the treetops of much of the planet with laser light, mapping forests’ carbon stores and the wildlife habitat they provide. Yet in early 2023, the laser is set to be jettisoned …

Tasmania is set to continue to benefit from the rollout of new fire detection technology which will help reduce the spread of major bushfires, safeguarding valuable plantation assets and even local communities. After a successful two year trial, leading Tasmanian plantation management company SFM have partnered with Working On Fire, a global business that delivers integrated fire management services to …

The state body for the forest and timber industry in Queensland has welcomed a landmark study into the long-term benefits from state forests in South and Central Queensland as compared to if they were managed as national parks[1]. Timber Queensland Chief Executive Officer Mick Stephens said “The study conducted by Indufor and Natural Capital Economics is a best practice approach …

With promises to rejuvenate forests from the air, tree-planting start-ups are looking to supplement shovels and long days of labour with swarms of seed-bearing aerial drones. A growing target: B.C.’s burnt forests. The charred remains of Douglas fir and Lodgepole pine forests once sent their seeds fluttering through the air — often in the belly or beak of a bird …

At Intergeo, Emesent launched three new products that will help geospatial professionals save time while capturing accurate data for digital twins and BIM applications. Emesent is a pioneering company in drone autonomy, Lidar mapping and data analytics. The products include Hovermap ST-X, a new Hovermap variant with improved accuracy and a 300m sensing range, a long-range radio add-on which further …

Yamaha has introduced an upgraded version of its Fazer R G2 unmanned helicopter, or drone, equipping it with more thrust and greater payload capacity. This should make it more suitable for carrying out aerial deliveries, which the company expects to help cut labour costs and construction times, among other uses. We’ve looked at various iterations of Yamaha’s so-called unmanned helicopter …

The Forest Products Commission of Western Australia (FPC) is implementing Remsoft Operations with connected Optimization Modeling capabilities to streamline annual planning and forest estate management. By increasing planning effectiveness and transparency, the technology will free up time for planners and foresters and enhance decision making. The FPC is responsible for the sustainable management and development of Western Australia’s forest products industry, using plantation, sandalwood and native …