ForestTECH 2021/22 Programme
DAY ONE | 23 February 2022
Innovations in Remote Sensing, Data Capture & Forest Inventory
Welcome & Introduction
FIEA
Key Note Address | 'Technology on Steroids': Remote Sensing, Forest Data Capture & Inventory Management – Past, present and future
David Herries, General Manager, Interpine, New Zealand
Session 1: Advancements in Remote Sensing & Data CaPture Technologies
10.40am
High Resolution Satellite Imagery for Species Identification and Volume Estimation
- The use of multispectral high resolution stereo imagery for species identification
- Volume estimation based on remote sensing and ground truthing
- Advantages and disadvantages learnt along the way
Michael Breetzke, Director: Business Development, Swift Geospatial, South Africa
11.00am
National LiDAR Mapping for Land Managers
The development and roll out of higher resolution national elevation data
Bjorn Johns, Elevation & Imagery Technical Leader, Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), New Zealand
11.20am
Creating Operational and Strategic Forest Inventories at an Industrial Scale – A Canadian Case Study
- Use of Individual tree canopy (ITC) and Area Based (ABA) LiDAR inventory methods to create operational scale inventory data for forest estate modelling.
- Case study of West Fraser’s Blue Ridge Lumber. Production of a forest inventory of over 600,000 ha in western Canada.
- Advancements in tree segmentation, species prediction, and polygon generation used along with accuracy levels achieved.
Cam Brown, Strategic Planning Forester, Forsite Consultants Ltd, Salmon Arm, Canada
11.40am
TECH Showcase
Short presentations on new product innovations
Session Break
1.00pm
Mobile Laser Scanning (Hovermap) data for Characterising the 3D Structure of Complex Eucalypt Forests
Results from recent in-forest trials
Dr Christine Stone, Forest Science, NSW Department of Primary Industries
1.20pm
Non-Destructive Testing of Native Hardwood Species
Trial results using Australia’s first sub-canopy autonomous drone and ultrasound technology
Mike Sutton, Manager Innovation & Research, FCNSW, Australia
1.50pm
High Density LiDAR Clouds using ALS & TLS for Individual Tree Inventories
Results from a global forest products company’s recent research & operational trials
Fernando Bustamante, Technical Manager, Forestal Arauco, Chile
2.10pm
High-Resolution Under-Canopy Data Collection in conjunction with VR Analysis for Forest Inventory
From research to operational use by local forest companies
Sam West, Senior GIS Analyst, Interpine, New Zealand & Jan Rombouts, Resources & Planning Manager, OneFortyOne, Australia
2.40pm
Counting ALL seedlings: AI for precise seedling survival, vitality and weed mapping
Update on advancements in applied deep learning and AI for optimum plantation establishment and weed management. Showcasing examples from growers in Australia and New Zealand, in Eucalyptus and Pine.
Albrecht von Ruffer, CEO, Skylab, Germany & Mark McRostie, Resource Manager, Australian Bluegum Plantations, Australia
Session Break
Sponsored by Bracke Forest
3.30pm
Plantation Watch: Monitoring plantation change at scale
Pete Watt, Head of Resource Monitoring, Indufor Asia Pacific, New Zealand
4.00pm
Using Deep Learning & AI to identify forest loss
Lessons from a large-scale forest inventory of 7,500 forested areas in New Zealand
Matt Lythe, Managing Director, Lynker Analytics, New Zealand
4.30pm
Drone and forest inventory innovations being used in the forests of Finland & Sweden
- A digital online platform for log stock data in mill yards using image analyses from drones
- Using multisource remote sensing data to improve the analysis of diameter class distributions to improve the cross-cutting accuracy of harvesting operations and log grade returns
Mika Korvenranta, Digitalization Manager, Stora Enso Oy, Finland
5.00pm
Day One Concludes
DAY TWO | 24 February 2022
Innovations in Forest Establishment, Planting & Mechanised Silviculture
Welcome & Introduction
FIEA
Session 1: Precision Silviculture - Innovations with Mechanised & Automated Planting Technologies
9.10am
Mechanized Solutions for Silviculture, Precision Forestry and Big Data Management
- Mechanized and automated solutions for seedling packaging and movement from the nursery to the field
- A new planting machine under development in Sweden
- Eco-RFID tags to automate the tracking process of products in the value chain
- Stora Enso approach with precision forestry and big data management
Marcos Wichert, VP Plantation Forest Management, Stora Enso, Finland
Precision Mechanised Planting
GPS advancements for reporting and showing seedling and mound locations, areas, planting densities, and planted amounts in real-time
Henri Syvänen, Sales Manager, Risutec, Finland
Session Break
Sponsored by Bracke Forest
10.30am
Two Seasons of Mechanised Planting in Kinleith Forest, Tokoroa
Results, learnings and opportunities
Mike Baker, Technical Forestry Manager, Manulife Forest Management (NZ), New Zealand
11.00am
Mechanised Planting
Results from operational trials including productivity gains and the application of hydrogel to extend the planting season
Henry Fear, Director, Henry Fear Contracting, New Zealand
11.30am
TECH Showcase
Short presentations on new product innovations
12.00pm
Session Break
Session 2: Forest Establistment - Innovations in Establishment & Post Planting Technologies
1.00pm
A New Canopy Foliage Sampling Tool using UAVs
Hughes La Vigne, Cofounder, DeLeaves, Canada
1.15pm
Aerial Spray Drift Management for Forestry Operations
Determining buffer and exclusion zones to accurately account for spray drift
Brian Richardson, Principal Scientist, Scion, New Zealand
Minimising Spray Drift in Environmentally Sensitive Areas Using Drones
Results from recent trials in forestry operations
Warrick Funnell, Chief Pilot, Agdrone, New Zealand
2.15pm
Conference Concludes