Prestudy on adaptation- and new usage areas for high capacity drones in forestry vegetation management

Purpose and goal

Swedish forestry is world-leading and generates renewable materials for society. To stay world-leading electrification, a higher degree of automation and precision forestry that takes into account more values than purely economic ones are required. The prestudy brings together relevant actors within forestry to investigate what digitalization efforts are needed and how high-capacity drones can be used, both for precision forestry and in alternative areas of use such as firefighting.

Expected effects and result

The prestudy will chart the digital and regulatory landscape of forestry both today and in the future. It will also analyze the potential of using drone technology to promote sustainable forestry. Finally, a consortium will be formed to enable the joint implementation and use of data-driven and autonomous precision forestry. The prestudy will also communicate the results widely and develop a plan for further collaboration on digitalization.

Planned approach and implementation

The prestudy contains three work packages aimed at collecting information: 1 Simulations of different management programs to understand the potential of using drones for sustainable precision forestry. 2 Chart data and digital infrastructure today and investigate what is missing to enable autonomous machines and precision forestry. 3 Analysis of risks and regulatory requirements that affect the project. Finally, a workshop on digitalization opportunities will be conducted with relevant actors.