Kopparfors Skogar joins Mistra Digital Forest programme

In conjunction with Kopparfors Skogar joining the programme, Torsten Persson becomes a new representative on the Mistra Digital Forest Industrial Council.  

Torsten Persson, with a background as a professional forester, also has a solid foundation in the IT industry and, among other things, has worked as a consultant in the development of national road databases and various systems. Since 2019, he has been head of the Systems and Processes department at Kopparfors Skogar AB, where he is responsible for the company's IT systems and their development in collaboration with the industry. 

- I think it will be exciting to follow the work in Mistra Digital Forest, and to get to know the other participants on the Industrial Council. I hope to be able to contribute with some of my experience, both from previous activities and from my current work at Kopparfors, says Torsten. 

Kopparfors Skogar is a company within the forest industry, managing a forest area of 283,000 hectares mainly located in the central regions of Sweden. The company is focused on sustainability and digitalisation. When the opportunity to join Mistra Digital Forest arose, Kopparfors did not hesitate to seize the opportunity.  

- Even though the company is relatively small and has limited resources, we hope to be able to contribute to the various ongoing activities within the programme, says Torsten. 

Dedicated work on digitalisation issues 

When it comes to digitalisation and digitalisation issues, Kopparfors works with a dedicated group of three people. They have also involved the entire company on a couple of occasions in order to identify the most relevant areas to develop and to work on. Based on these priorities, they are gradually aiming to address the requests that emerged. 

According to Torsten, the biggest challenge of digitalisation in Swedish forestry, is ensuring reliable data on forest holdings, as well as being able to work with sustainability issues at a deeper level.  

- Being able to capture this data and utilise it in our systems is a challenge. Sharing data with other companies is also a challenge. There already are standards in forestry, but there is also a lot of unfinished business in this area, says Torsten, adding that the rapid technological development is also a challenge, especially when it comes to choosing the right technology for Kopparfors' specific needs. 

What do you think the future looks like? 

- For Kopparfors, which works a lot with planning felling areas, I think we will have more tools, and improved tools for data capture. I think our planners will become more efficient in their work, but I don't think we will see any automated planning of felling areas in the near future. It's a complex job, at least when it involves regeneration harvesting.  

Finally, what is your personal relationship with the forest? 

- Ever since childhood, I have spent a lot of time in the forest. I still find it exciting to go into the forest to listen and see what is on the horizon and note what is happening. Spring and early summer is a particularly wonderful time, with the greenery that appears accompanied by birds and other animals, Torsten concludes.