MISTRA DIGITAL FOREST 2019 1
Great digital opportunities for the forestry valu
e chain The Mistra Digital Forest research program was started in early 2019, getting off to a flying start after a long period of dialogue with all the program participants. The program is well-timed. There is great and growing interest in forest-based issues from a variety of stakeholders, at the same time as there is a rapid evolution of digital tools. Last but not least, the companies which initiated the program and now participate in it, see the great opportunities provided by increased digitalisation in forestry. The main objective of Mistra Digital Forest is to make an important contribution to the conversion of our society, from a fossil-based economy to a sustainable bioeconomy. We are doing this through the development of both digital technologies and methods for sustainable forestry, and we are delighted with the trust shown by Mistra, which makes this investment possible. The forest as raw material contains many natural variations. This means that relevant data about the forest has to be high-resolution – which in turn implies a huge amount of data. We currently have both the means and the methods for collecting large amounts of data, for example through laser scanning from the air or the ground. This is supplemented with data from the harvesters and is collected for each harvested tree. New knowledge will lead to greater efficiency and a lower environmental impact. When I started as Program Director in August 2019, I met a well-planned research program that was already off to a great start. Competent participants from the program office at the Swedish Forest Industries, the six forest companies and the five research providers jointly formulate new research challenges. They all benefit from previously completed projects, and give great strength to Mistra Digital Forest. Interest in the program and an enthusiasm for development has been apparent, not least from the large turnout at the two program conferences we conducted during 2019. In this report, you will be introduced to a selection of activities that have been initiated in the program. I hope it will give you new insights and thoughts on what opportunities a digital development will bring to the forestry. Sverker Danielsson Program Director, Mistra Digital Forest 3 P h o t o : J o h a n O ls s o n