Digitalization in Forestry: After Four Years of Research – Where Do We Stand Now?

The Mistra Digital Forests (MDF) program conference on November 23rd became a showcase of results, providing insights into the diverse research projects that characterize the program's first four years. "A graduation celebration," said Elisabeth Nilsson, MDF's program board member, on-site at Fotografiska in Stockholm.

Sverker Danielsson, Mistra Digital Forest. Photo: Jakob Larsed.

Program Manager Sverker Danielsson kicked off the well-attended day by illustrating how forest data can create value in a bioeconomy. The project highlighting Skogforsk and Södra's development of a tool to match raw materials and end products, resulting in significant material gains, was highlighted.

Another study from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and SLU (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) reveals that different parts of the tree, particularly the branch fraction, have specific characteristics. The combination of knowledge and new technology enables optimized further processing towards various products.

"We have gained several valuable insights."

Daniel Nylén, Umeå University. Photo: Jakob Larsed.

Daniel Nylén from Umeå University was present to share, among other things, the study that provides a unique insight into the digital transformation of Swedish forest companies.

One of the companies that participated in the study is Södra, with Magnus Peterson:

"To gain the benefits of digitalization, a completely different structure is required than that of a traditionally governed organization. We have gained several valuable insights that are now being discussed internally."

Fredrik Klang from Sveaskog testified how his workplace has embraced research stemming from MDF, both through the implementation of new technology and within the organization:

Johan Holmgren, SLU. Photo: Jakob Larsed.

"Continuous change is required to embrace new solutions and technologies. Engagement within the organization is crucial, as well as choosing what should be prioritized. One can always start with the most exciting projects or the low-hanging fruits."

Several participants emphasized the importance of developing tools and methodologies that make today's large volumes of data usable.

Johan Holmgren, from SLU, provided excellent examples of this by describing how MDF is working on methods to estimate timber quality and tree species in large stands using data from airborne and ground-based laser scanning.

Risks that can be influenced through forest planning

Karin Öhman, SLU. Photo: Jakob Larsed.

The opportunity that new data opens up for improving forest planning was something emphasized by Karin Öman, from SLU. "If we want to achieve sustainable forestry, we need to conduct long-term future analyses. We are talking about 70-100 years ahead," she said.

She provided several examples of methods for long-term forest management planning based on comprehensive data, including a planning model to minimize the risk of damage from storms/winds and the spruce bark beetle. "These are risks that can actually be influenced through forest planning," she said.

Martin Servin, Umeå University. Photo: Jakob Larsed.

Martin Servin from Umeå University provided a glimpse into how digital physics can be used to develop decision support systems and, ultimately, autonomous forestry machines. In a virtual forest that replicates reality, his team has trained a self-driving forwarder, among other things:

"Of course, it's not like everything suddenly becomes self-driving. We develop partial solutions that can be used already today," he added.

Linnea Hansson from Skogforsk provided excellent examples of applied research. The decision support tool, Bestway, which is used for optimizing forest roads and harvesting areas, has been implemented in several company systems today. Currently, the researchers are working on skidding support, which is a route planning tool for forwarders that focuses on co-loading, efficient driving, and unloading.

Wants to provide decision-makers with objective knowledge bases

Eskil Mattson, IVL. Photo: Jakob Larsed.

On the stage at Fotografiska, the researchers behind the visualization tool BioMapp were also present. Eskil Mattson from IVL explained the work of developing and testing indicators for various aspects of sustainability:

"We aim to provide decision-makers with objective knowledge bases and find paths forward for the future of Swedish forestry and its products. Sustainability indicators, for example, are useful in companies' strategic work and at the product level in areas such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and various environmental declarations."

Fredrik Klang, Sveaskog and Charlotte Bengtsson, Skogforsk. Photo: Jakob Larsed.

When summarizing the day, Maria Wetterstrand, a member of MDF's program board, highlighted sustainability indicators and how they can be used in the tool as one of the day's highlights. "We need to continue the work on traceability all the way to the consumer. The digital tools provide a solid foundation for that," she said.

Moving forward, she expressed her desire for MDF to take more active initiatives in engaging in dialogue with policymakers.

Charlotte Bengtsson from Skogforsk expressed her wish for the nature conservation aspect to become more digitalized. Similarly, Fredrik Klang from Sveaskog, along with several other speakers, looks forward to further implementations in the field.

Several participants also expressed their positive views on the design of a new civil engineering program in agricultural and forestry systems, which was shared by Kristine Koch from SLU.

Torgny Persson and Maria Wetterstrand, Program board. Photo: Jakob Larsed.

The final words of the day were delivered by Torgny Persson from Skogsindustrierna: "In this program, we have a unique connection between research and industry. Someone mentioned earlier that this was a graduation day. I give the program a very well-passed mark."

The results showcase and discussions continued offstage with a poster exhibition.

Voices from the conference (in Swedish)

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