Forest inventory & data

Forest inventory, laser scanning, species mapping, biomass and carbon data: the datasets and tools behind modern forest planning.

Satellite monitoring

Sveaskog tests load-measuring crane, Södra forest plans update from satellite | #063

Sep 15, 2026

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2 min read

Sveaskog tests load-measuring crane, Södra forest plans update from satellite | #063

Also: Sentinel volume model moves from Norway to Finland, windthrow AI fails abroad, ForestrySA adds a Pano AI fire camera

Axel Wretemark

Satellite monitoring

ICEYE takes EU fund's first cheque, US Forest Service $105.5M for wood markets | #059

Aug 18, 2026

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2 min read

ICEYE takes EU fund's first cheque, US Forest Service $105.5M for wood markets | #059

Also: GPS planting tube logs every seedling, DRI reads tree water stress from video, mature forests grow beyond the satellite record

Axel Wretemark

Satellite monitoring

FGI lidar IDs nine tree species, Mai Intelligence plans bark beetle CubeSat | #058

Aug 11, 2026

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2 min read

FGI lidar IDs nine tree species, Mai Intelligence plans bark beetle CubeSat | #058

Also: Vigo IDs seven species from ground lidar, Fraunhofer wires Bavarian forest with mioty sensors, WoodComp opens a free mill database

Axel Wretemark

Satellite monitoring

Skogforsk digital timber passport, Allianz wildfire detection net over Spain | #057

Aug 4, 2026

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2 min read

Skogforsk digital timber passport, Allianz wildfire detection net over Spain | #057

Also: SLU optimiser doubts inventory data, phones beat headsets in forestry AR, rebuilt vegetation index doubles biomass signal

Axel Wretemark

Satellite monitoring

Sweden's third national lidar scan begins, New Zealand maps forests by species | #048

Jun 9, 2026

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2 min read

Sweden's third national lidar scan begins, New Zealand maps forests by species | #048

Also: Skogshubben files felling notifications direct to Skogsstyrelsen, Idemitsu and Morisora make jet fuel from Japanese wood

Axel Wretemark

Nordic forestry

AirForestry drone fells first live tree, SLU lidar maps 117 million trees | #046

May 26, 2026

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2 min read

AirForestry drone fells first live tree, SLU lidar maps 117 million trees | #046

Also: SCA's AI cassette check at Bogrundet nursery, Ponsse's Buffalo Planter, and SkogsAI signs its first customer

Axel Wretemark

Nordic forestry

AirForestry leads SEK 48M drone consortium, SLU detects pesticides by sound | #043

May 5, 2026

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3 min read

AirForestry leads SEK 48M drone consortium, SLU detects pesticides by sound | #043

Also: Metsä and Stora Enso frame AI as baseline infrastructure, Biodiv raises SEK 2.75M, and Mongabay's ten forces reshaping forests

Axel Wretemark

Nordic forestry

Skogforsk maps root rot with harvester data, Komatsu acquires Malwa Forest | #039

Apr 7, 2026

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4 min read

Skogforsk maps root rot with harvester data, Komatsu acquires Malwa Forest | #039

Also: Canadian Forest Service maps large old trees with airborne lidar, and Mast delivers first biomass burial carbon credits

Axel Wretemark

Satellite monitoring

Thermal drones replace pellet counts, SMHI proves satellite wildfire alerts | #038

Mar 31, 2026

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5 min read

Thermal drones replace pellet counts, SMHI proves satellite wildfire alerts | #038

Also: Mellanskog picks Skogshubben for planning, Skogforsk's 10 m national biomass map, Wageningen AI decodes tropical forest loss

Axel Wretemark

Satellite monitoring

SLU audits satellite forest estimates, Treebula Plus adds timber price data | #037

Mar 24, 2026

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5 min read

SLU audits satellite forest estimates, Treebula Plus adds timber price data | #037

Also: AI projects 20% more European forest damage, Emission Twin and GoClimate climate data deal, California's 300 wildfire projects

Axel Wretemark

Satellite monitoring

Mar 10, 2026

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5 min read

FAO maps AI in forest monitoring, WWF AI predicts deforestation months ahead | #035

Also: ForestScan's tropical lidar dataset, Finnish startup KOKO Forest, and DeepGreenX's 70 million hectare Indonesia deal

Axel Wretemark

Satellite monitoring

Mar 3, 2026

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4 min read

AirForestry drone completes autonomous harvest, Purdue AI maps 280M city trees | #034

Also: UCL's ForestScan 3D lidar dataset, terraPulse on global forest disturbance mapping, and INTERFORST 2026's Forest 4.0 programme

Axel Wretemark

Nordic forestry

Feb 24, 2026

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4 min read

Skogforsk boom-tip control speeds harvesters, Canada rebuilds growth models | #033

Also: EcoVibes turns forest sound into biodiversity data, DeepForest drone cameras see through canopy, Triona's protected forest map

Axel Wretemark

Satellite monitoring

Feb 10, 2026

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4 min read

Purdue AI rebuilds trees from lidar, NASA satellites track boreal forest shift | #031

Also: Qarlbo biodiversity credit methodology approved, EU OPENSWARM drone swarms map forests, IoT smart forestry framework

Axel Wretemark

Satellite monitoring

Metsä AI pricing for young stands, Sweden launches WIFORCE forest data arena | #029

Jan 27, 2026

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4 min read

Metsä AI pricing for young stands, Sweden launches WIFORCE forest data arena | #029

Also: SkogsAI 3.0 runs real forestry formulas, ESA Biomass satellite data opens to all, biodegradable Internet of Trees sensors

Axel Wretemark

Nordic forestry

Jan 13, 2026

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4 min read

SLU AI maps Sweden's hidden waterways, Södra scales Nordic Forestry Automation | #027

Also: Grünecho tests LLMs on ICP Forests data, Tasmania doubles AI wildfire cameras, Arevo arGrow roots-first seedling growth

Axel Wretemark

Nordic forestry

Deep dive: Skyforest drones, STA loggers and Södra BraSatt map every seedling | #026

Jan 8, 2026

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12 min read

Deep dive: Skyforest drones, STA loggers and Södra BraSatt map every seedling | #026

Three paths to seedling-level precision reforestation: drone inventory, tool-mounted logging and robotic planting

Axel Wretemark

Harvesters & machinery

Four deep dives revisited: tree nurseries, Forestry 4.0, precision forestry | #025

Jan 6, 2026

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2 min read

Four deep dives revisited: tree nurseries, Forestry 4.0, precision forestry | #025

A brief holiday pause, with links to earlier BTB deep dives and the reader survey

Axel Wretemark

AI & agents

DJI Zenmuse L3 lidar for forest digital twins, NIBIO ForestSens AI platform | #024

Dec 30, 2025

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3 min read

DJI Zenmuse L3 lidar for forest digital twins, NIBIO ForestSens AI platform | #024

Also: review finds urban forestry digital tools strong on inventory, weak on scenario planning and participation

Axel Wretemark

Satellite monitoring

Biometria VIOL 3 timber data engine, SACCESS satellite mosaics for Sweden | #023

Dec 23, 2025

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3 min read

Biometria VIOL 3 timber data engine, SACCESS satellite mosaics for Sweden | #023

Also: SLU opens a GitHub library of 70 years of Swedish and Norwegian forest growth formulas

Axel Wretemark

Satellite monitoring

Södra and Terra Labs AI decision support, Vinnova funds Skogforsk biocredits | #021

Dec 9, 2025

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3 min read

Södra and Terra Labs AI decision support, Vinnova funds Skogforsk biocredits | #021

Also: site index from satellite and NFI plots, forest growth from space in China, Arboair and Forsler AI forestry in Denmark

Axel Wretemark

Nordic forestry

FSC Motion 30 traceability, Luleå virtual data for autonomous harvesters | #019

Nov 25, 2025

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3 min read

FSC Motion 30 traceability, Luleå virtual data for autonomous harvesters | #019

Also: Finnish forest machines report work automatically, SingleTree tree-level harvest planning, Live Canopy Digital Tree framework

Axel Wretemark

Satellite monitoring

FAO on AI in global forest monitoring, Guyana expands satellite MRV with AI | #018

Nov 18, 2025

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3 min read

FAO on AI in global forest monitoring, Guyana expands satellite MRV with AI | #018

Also: Virginia Tech lidar monitoring grant, DigiForest autonomous ground drone, WorkSafe NZ lidar for forestry road safety

Axel Wretemark

Nordic forestry

Forestry tech forecasts 2010–2015 revisited, lidar, StanForD and automation | #014

Oct 23, 2025

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6 min read

Forestry tech forecasts 2010–2015 revisited, lidar, StanForD and automation | #014

Deep dive: what Skogforsk, LUKE, FPInnovations and EU forestry expected a decade ago, and what became reality

Axel Wretemark

Satellite monitoring

Södra launches Terra Labs planner app, OTMETKA blockchain log traceability | #013

Oct 21, 2025

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4 min read

Södra launches Terra Labs planner app, OTMETKA blockchain log traceability | #013

Also: AI listens for spotted owls in Oregon, AI predicts forest invasive species, machine learning maps US ghost forests

Axel Wretemark

Forest inventory & data

Sveaskog tests load-measuring crane, Södra forest plans update from satellite | #063

ICEYE takes EU fund's first cheque, US Forest Service $105.5M for wood markets | #059

FGI lidar IDs nine tree species, Mai Intelligence plans bark beetle CubeSat | #058

Skogforsk digital timber passport, Allianz wildfire detection net over Spain | #057

Sweden's third national lidar scan begins, New Zealand maps forests by species | #048

AirForestry drone fells first live tree, SLU lidar maps 117 million trees | #046

AirForestry leads SEK 48M drone consortium, SLU detects pesticides by sound | #043

Skogforsk maps root rot with harvester data, Komatsu acquires Malwa Forest | #039

Thermal drones replace pellet counts, SMHI proves satellite wildfire alerts | #038

SLU audits satellite forest estimates, Treebula Plus adds timber price data | #037

FAO maps AI in forest monitoring, WWF AI predicts deforestation months ahead | #035

AirForestry drone completes autonomous harvest, Purdue AI maps 280M city trees | #034

Skogforsk boom-tip control speeds harvesters, Canada rebuilds growth models | #033

Purdue AI rebuilds trees from lidar, NASA satellites track boreal forest shift | #031

Metsä AI pricing for young stands, Sweden launches WIFORCE forest data arena | #029

SLU AI maps Sweden's hidden waterways, Södra scales Nordic Forestry Automation | #027

Deep dive: Skyforest drones, STA loggers and Södra BraSatt map every seedling | #026

Four deep dives revisited: tree nurseries, Forestry 4.0, precision forestry | #025

DJI Zenmuse L3 lidar for forest digital twins, NIBIO ForestSens AI platform | #024

Biometria VIOL 3 timber data engine, SACCESS satellite mosaics for Sweden | #023

Södra and Terra Labs AI decision support, Vinnova funds Skogforsk biocredits | #021

FSC Motion 30 traceability, Luleå virtual data for autonomous harvesters | #019

FAO on AI in global forest monitoring, Guyana expands satellite MRV with AI | #018

Forestry tech forecasts 2010–2015 revisited, lidar, StanForD and automation | #014

Södra launches Terra Labs planner app, OTMETKA blockchain log traceability | #013

Boreal Tech Brief