Welcome to the latest issue of Foresttech.News. It’s now a couple of months since Cyclone Gabrielle and reports are being released on its impact and future recommendations. The forest industry is …
TED Vancouver: Fighting wildfires from space
Aerospace executive talks new tools to help fight wildfires from space. With “mega fires” of more than 40,000 hectares becoming more prevalent, George Whitesides says better satellites are among the …
One New Zealand takes off, announces collaboration with SpaceX
One New Zealand officially launches new brand and announces a new collaboration with SpaceX. On its first official day as One New Zealand, the now-locally run telecommunications provider has launched …
Genomic tool – a game changer for Radiata pine
The result of research effort that began in 2014, Graham is holding a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. It is the first large-scale genome-based pedigree identification and genetic selection tool …
Return of the GEDI
• Since 2018, the GEDI mission has been firing lasers from the International Space Station to measure aboveground biomass on Earth. • The information gleaned from it has been crucial …
CollectiveCrunch launches Linda Planet
CollectiveCrunch, creator of the AI-powered platform that enables sustainable forestry at scale, is launching Linda Planet, a new trustworthy tool that enables forestry professionals to assess the health of forests …
Optimising profitability with fertiliser prediction systems
In 2017, FWPA-supported research led to the development of the ProFert for Pine tool, which was designed to improve the capacity of softwood growers to effectively predict the success of …
On-orbit fire detection technology launched
Germany-based wildfire solution company OroraTech has announced its new on-orbit fire processing technology that can detect and send fire notification alarms to customers via the multi-satellite link within three minutes …
Post-processing Lidar data no longer the norm
The Dutch startup Aerial Precision recently demonstrated its first two sensors with integrated artificial intelligence software. Over the past few years, the company’s innovation efforts have resulted in products that …
Forestry AI helps track cyclone damage, with almost ‘whole country mapped out’
Artificial intelligence technology is being used to help understand the damage caused by slash in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle – and help the forestry sector battle climate change. It’s …
ForestTECH News | Issue 67
Welcome to the latest issue of Foresttech.News. Can you believe we are already in the second quarter of 2023? Last month we posted an early expression of interest in being part …
Artificial intelligence: World at ‘tipping point
Sir Peter Gluckman says people are being “pulled apart by misinformation, disinformation, social media and ‘targeting’”. The world is at “a tipping point” beyond which technology may be beyond our …
GPS accuracy to 10cm from satellite uplink centre
A state-of-the-art satellite positioning service in Southland, in the lower South Island, New Zealand, will bring GPS accuracy to about 10cm, refining data for aviation, search and rescue, and many …
UniSA forest virtual reality project underway
Plantation managers may soon be able to walk through large sections of forests, zero in on defects, check wood quality, and get a quicker overview on progress, all without leaving …
CollectiveCrunch raises €1.4m for future growth
Finnish green tech company CollectiveCrunch has secured €1.4 million in an investment round led by existing investor Nidoco AB to fund future growth, particularly in the forest carbon market. CollectiveCrunch’s …
Kea Atmos stratospheric aircraft takes flight
New Zealand’s first solar-powered stratospheric aircraft has been built and flight testing has commenced. This aircraft will be a game-changer for collecting high-resolution aerial data for applications such as extreme …
High resolution imagery of flood-hit areas
New high-resolution, satellite imagery providing a birds-eye view of Cyclone Gabrielle’s impact on the North Island’s east coast is now available online as part of New Zealand’s emergency response. Photo: …
New aerial imagery – before and after Cyclone Gabrielle
Cyclone Gabrielle left a trail of destruction in its wake as it swept through the Hawkes Bay area, and now with the power and accessibility of satellite imagery we have …
Canadian students launch wildfire-monitoring satellite
A student-built satellite from the University of Alberta that will capture images of active wildfires has made it into orbit after a successful launch recently. The satellite Ex-Alta 2, a …
DroneSeed acquires California’s largest tree nursery
Climate tech company Mast, the newly-formed parent company of DroneSeed, has announced its acquisition of California-based Cal Forest Nurseries, which supplies the majority of seedlings used for reforestation in California. …
ForestTECH News | Issue 66
Welcome to the latest issue of Foresttech.News. In New Zealand, the news over the last month has been dominated by Cyclone Gabrielle and its aftermath. The cyclone cut off communities and …
ChatGPT could make these jobs obsolete
Artificial intelligence is here, and it’s coming for your job. So promising are the tool’s capabilities, Microsoft — amid laying off 10,000 people — has announced a “multiyear, multi-billion dollar …
Early EOI to present at ForestTECH 2023
In 2021 and 2022, the ForestTECH series, like many other meetings and events, was disrupted by Covid. In saying that, over 300 delegates from 15 different countries were involved with …
Harnessing laser technology to measure native forests
The results of a recently completed, FWPA-supported collaborative research project have demonstrated the potential of using dense, 3D point cloud data to link tree and plot-level measurements in native forests, …
23% of the U.S. forest inventory could be lost
A study led by a North Carolina State University researcher found that under more severe climate warming scenarios, the inventory of trees used for timber in the continental United States …
NEON adds drone-based Leaf Sampling Protocol
Treetop leaf sampling ( canopy foliar sampling) at forested NEON (The National Science Foundation’s National Ecological Observatory Network ) field sites just got a whole lot easier. We’ve added a …
Engineered magic: wooden seed carriers
Geometric design and engineering of biodegradable materials could improve versatility, efficiency of aerial seeding How seeds implant themselves in soil can seem magical. Take some varieties of Erodium, whose five-petalled …
Future proofing our forestry sector
Future-proofing New Zealand’s radiata pine plantations against climate challenges and a rapidly changing economic environment has become a whole lot easier with a world-leading application of Genomic Selection (GS), a …
Rotorua to host international remote sensing conference
Rotorua and Whakarewarewa Forest will be the backdrop to a global forestry conference that is set to attract up to 500 remote sensing specialists to the city in just over …
Plantma planting trials and expansion ongoing
After a long time of preparation and transportation, a PlantMax X2 Planting unit is operating in Brazil. In collaboration with partners at Timber in Curitiba Plantma Forestry has done a …
ForestTECH News | Issue 65
Welcome to the latest issue of Foresttech.News. As we start 2023, there’s plenty to catch up on as we look ahead to the future year. A couple of major events the …
ChatGPT and AI will disrupt these industries
ChatGPT is the world’s most powerful AI chatbot. It offers a human-like alternative to search engines and can do everything from compile a menu to writing a TV script to …
Autonomous planting machine runs for first time
The autonomous planting machine project Autoplant is getting closer to reality. In September 2022 the first test of a complete machine was made in Bräcke, mid-Sweden, close to the Bracke …
Remote sensing supporting future smart decision making
Australian researchers have proposed a holistic approach to provide meaningful insights to support smart decision making for the future. Contemporary forest and wood products companies face a significant challenge around …
Pilotless planes to fight bushfires
A New Zealand aviation technology company is developing pilotless planes to fight bushfires from the skies. Canterbury-based Skybase is converting aircraft to fly remotely in a world-leading move designed to …
Gaia AI raises US$3M for forest data collection service
Gaia AI has secured a US$3M Pre-Seed to automate the collection of forestry data, verify carbon credits, and build a data platform that empowers foresters to make the best financial …
HQPlantations CEO appointed
Following an extensive domestic and international executive search, HQPlantations Board of Directors are pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Wilson as new Chief Executive Officer following previous CEO Jeremy …
Taranaki region’s 3D landscape unveiled
Anew, high-tech aerial laser survey project has been completed in the New Zealand region of Taranaki, producing an exact 3D map of the region’s land surface. The survey, conducted by …
FSC publish new forest management standard
FSC ANZ has announced the launch of a new standard for responsible forest management in New Zealand. After a comprehensive process of rigorous consultation with industry, environment, and social stakeholders …
Opinion Piece – A tale of two fires
Two separate fires that started from lightning strikes earlier this month reinforce the need to increase the resources available for prescribed burning and plantation protection in Australia’s south-west forests. During …
ForestTECH News | Issue 64
Welcome to the latest issue of Foresttech.News. Thank you to everyone who attended ForestTECH 2022 last month. The latest forest technology series, which was hosted in New Zealand, Australia and online, …
ForestTECH 2022 – Event Summary
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 …
NZ Awards celebrate scientists & research excellence
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 …
New tech aims to track carbon in every tree
• 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. …
Just madness – removing forest-mapping laser
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 …
Mechanised planting on steeper slopes
As part of the just completed ForestTECH 2022 series, advances being made operationally in mechanised planting along with recent commercial trials from across Australasia, Europe and in South America featured …
Two-year fire trial hailed a success
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 …
State forests delivering higher net social benefits
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 …
How drones are replanting B.C.’s burned forests
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 …
Three mapping solutions for digital twins and BIM
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 …
Yamaha’s unmanned helicopter carrying up to 50 kg
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 …
Forest Products Commission of Western Australia Invests for the Future with Remsoft
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 …
ForestTECH News | Issue 63
Welcome to the latest issue of Foresttech.News. We are finally there. ForestTECH 2022, which was last held in Australia three years ago, will be returning as an in-person event this month. …
R&D solution to tackle plastic waste for nurseries
Scion scientists have been instrumental in developing and testing biodegradable nursery pots that will help nurseries and Kiwi gardeners to reduce plastic waste and its impact on the environment. The …
Vertical farm trees growing six times faster
Tree seedlings are being grown six times faster in a vertical farm compared to traditional outdoor sowing, in the first UK trials of their kind. Growing 40-50cm tall in just …
A journey into the new reality
Impressions from HxGN Live Global 2022 In which direction is the geospatial industry heading? Which core activities will companies focus on? How will the rapidly progressing technological advances shape the …
How digital innovation has accelerated forest monitoring
The way that we monitor the world’s forests has changed dramatically in recent years. Fifteen years ago, many countries still made maps and recorded information about their forests and land …
Environmental Monitoring – remote sensing review
Remote sensing data is often applied to assist with environmental monitoring. However, the pace of development makes it challenging to decipher if the new sensor or technique can be used …
Treemetrics signs €1.2m contract with ESA
Cork-headquartered Treemetrics, a forestry management software firm, will play a key role in a new project to provide more accurate forest carbon credit estimates to the European Space Agency (ESA). …
The weed-mapping drone that goes the extra mile
The Single family have been farming their broadacre cropping property near Coonamble, in New South Wales, for close to 70 years and third generation farmer Ben Single says there has …
New marketplace for satellite imagery
Critchlow Geospatial has announced the launch of New Zealand’s first satellite imagery marketplace. Recent advances in optics, remote sensing, artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud computing mean that satellite imagery …
ForestTECH News | Issue 62
Welcome to the latest issue of Foresttech.News. Hot off the press – the Victorian government has announced an AU$120 investment to plant 14,000 hectares of softwood plantations across Gippsland. The new …
AU$120m investment for new plantation estate
The Victorian government is investing in a new plantation estate in Gippsland to plant millions of trees to maintain the state’s timber supply and reduce emissions. An AU$120 million investment …
Four workshops set up for ForestTECH 2022
The ForestTECH series has firmly established itself on the Australasian calendar. Since 2007, aside from a recent hiccup or two with Covid enforced travel and meeting restrictions, it’s been run …
Digital Data is the key to sustainable forestry
Forestry and climate change challenges require a far more efficient, data-intensive approach than the current status quo. Forests are critical to fighting climate change, based in part on their ability …
Another unique opportunity for young foresters
This new opportunity comes with a free conference registration – up to about eight of them in fact for – for this year’s ForestTECH 2022 event running in Rotorua, New …
NZ UAV pilots, have you heard of this new tool?
RNZAF Flight Advisor Service (flightadvisornz.io) is a new tool developed by Aeropath for the NZDF. The primary function of this tool is two-fold: Register and communicate low level hazards in …
First AI-enabled carbon offsets for native NZ forests
New Zealand’s first voluntary carbon credit marketplace, Carbonz (pronounced carbon zee), is here to restore native biodiversity and help Aotearoa reach its carbon zero goals by selling the first carbon …
ArcGIS software-based forest monitoring system developed
The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) is developing a dashboard created with ArcGIS Dashboards that will generate reports about deforestation in the South American nation, which is renowned for its lush …
Swedish mechanised planting system planned for NZ
Plantma Forestry have developed a mechanised planting system that’s being used in Sweden and being trialled in both the US and Canada. During 2020 the machine was tested by 3 …
FARO acquires mobile mapping pioneer GeoSLAM
FARO has announced the acquisition of one the world’s mobile scanning market leaders: GeoSLAM. With proprietary high-productivity simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) software to create 3D models for use in …
ForestTECH News | Issue 61
Welcome to the latest issue of Foresttech.News. Interest in this year’s ForestTECH 2022 series is now starting to really ramp up. Three years of not meeting face to face in Australia …
World’s first service for capturing tree trunk data using camera drones
Katam continues to provide global forestry with services for precise decision support and increased wood growth and quality. By using autonomous drones for video recordings, Katam now introduces an additional …
Where’s My Drone? BVLOS for forest operations
Forest environments are notoriously difficult for drone (unmanned aerial vehicle – UAV) operations. Aside from the trees themselves, hilly terrain, remote areas provide challenges for drone operators. Add in the …
Timberlands’ big, hairy, audacious goal
In May 2017, New Zealand’s Timberlands Ltd Board of Directors and senior managers toured through Puruki Experimental Forest in the Central North Island with a team of Scion scientists. As …
New biomass satellite taking shape
It is the first satellite to take a technology called P-band radar into space – and it should help scientists to distinguish the wood from the trees. In a dust-free …
Forest establishment & mechanised planting profiled
ForestTECH is this region’s premier forestry technology series. It’s the one forestry technology event that brings together forest resource managers, inventory foresters, remote sensing, GIS, mapping and forest inventory specialists …
Glyphosate not carcinogenic, says EU chemicals agency
The opinion is set to influence decision on whether to reauthorize the controversial herbicide in the EU. The controversial herbicide ingredient glyphosate does not cause cancer in humans, according to …
DNA – transforming the fight against illegal logging
With the right equipment and a little luck, stealing a tree from a swath of land as remote and vast as the Olympic National Forest should have been easy enough. …
Jetson ONE – World’s first EVTOL work trip
At the end of last year, we covered a story from Jetson (for those old enough you’ll remember well from your childhood those cartoons in the 1960’s that crossed our …
ForestTECH News | Issue 60
Welcome to the latest issue of Foresttech.News. Interest in this year’s ForestTECH 2022 series being run for New Zealand and Australian resource and tree crop managers is now starting to really …
US$36m raised for drone reforestation efforts
Fire seasons are now longer and the destruction more intense, as fires burn hotter and spread to more drought-stricken ground. Since the start of this year, 32,247 wildfires have burned …
NZ’s forest cover change being mapped
Microsoft and New Zealand Crown Research Institute, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, are teaming up to develop improved detection of land use and forest cover change in New Zealand. Microsoft says …
Australia’s first 4D digital mapping project
Tasmania to get 4D digital twin with Virtual Tas using laser scanning and image capture technology Enzen Australia and 42-24, a TasNetworks’ subsidiary business, have launched Virtual Tas, a joint …
NSW planting efforts doubling in size this year
Key points: 6.5 million trees will be planted around Tumut and Tumbarumba by the end of August Planting efforts have doubled to help the timber industry recover from the Black …
Precision Forestry: A forest of one
A single tree does not make a forest – just yet. Scion is developing and testing a range of precision forestry technologies with Hawke’s Bay forestry company Pan Pac Forest …
Ultra-long range hydraulic drone lifts serious weight
A unique heavy-lift UAV out of Edinburgh promises to obliterate the power and range of electric drones using a Rotax engine and bent-axis hydraulic motors similar to those used on …
Soaring demand for trees to offset Australia’s emissions
From 50 trees to 2.8 million. That has been the trajectory for Lisa McCreery’s native tree nursery since it was set up 43 years ago by her parents outside Tammin …
Monitoring system for sensitive environments
The conservation and restoration of remnant native woodlands and wetlands to enhance biodiversity and ensure the sustainability of habitats is a priority for many agencies. The task, however, of monitoring …
Drones – heading towards a futuristic vision
The role of drones is growing rapidly in various industries, including inspection, surveillance and time-critical transport. Fast, long-flying and cost-effective drones can cope with challenging environments. Technological developments and active …
ForestTECH News | Issue 59
Welcome to the latest issue of Foresttech.News. In last month’s issue, we announced that the ForestTECH 2022 event had just been set up for forest resource and tree crop managers in …
Drone planting 40,000 tree pods a day
Giant drones are the latest weapon in an ongoing “war” against the introduced African olive tree in southern Sydney. The drones are planting out a steep ridge line in the …
Planting trees outside the normal planting season
Newly published research by Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service into tree planting will provide some welcome solutions to problems foresters and planters are all too familiar with. …
Komatsu Forest to acquire Bracke Forest
Komatsu Forest AB, a wholly owned subsidiary of Komatsu is going to acquire Bracke Forest AB headquartered in Bräcke, Sweden, a company that develops, manufactures and sells application-specific attachments for …
Mobile terrestrial laser scanning of NSW native forests
In 2021, mobile terrestrial LiDAR data and ground-based measurements were collected across 15 native forest plots in coastal NSW as part of a small pilot program. This remotely sensed LiDAR …
EPA approves wilding conifer weedkiller
A weedkiller to target wilding conifers has been approved for use in New Zealand, with controls, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) says. Method 240 SL is a herbicide used to …
Ash forests to forests of ash
Desperate efforts to regenerate Victoria’s towering ash forests, which are being regularly decimated by bushfires, involves a dedicated group searching high and low to bank enough seeds for their survival. …
Development of a remote-controlled scarifier
The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden, “Skogforsk”, has received funding to develop a remote-controlled scarifier. The goal is to bring the technology of remote-controlled forest machines closer to reality. The …
Carbon sequestration – how does NZ redwood stack?
New Zealand has committed to a net-zero emissions target by 2050. Carbon uptake by rapid planting of new forests is the only way New Zealand has to remove CO2 from …
AutoPlant – is this going to be planting this year?
In February last year, Forestry.com wrote about the AutoPlant project, an autonomous planting machine. We also covered it in a February 2021 issue of Friday Offcuts. Now, over a year …