Key trends in the timber industry: digitalization of the forestry industry

The seventh item on our list from ten key trends that have influenced the forestry industry over the past decade and will continue to shape it in the coming years - digitalization.

Digitalization and the introduction of modern technologies in logging processes have led to an increase in labor productivity and a reduction in environmental impact. The effective use of geographic information systems has made it possible to more accurately plan cuttings and conduct sustainable forestry.

Active work on digitalization of the industry is being carried out not only by the business itself, but also at the state level. In 2021, the process of global digital transformation of the timber industry complex was launched in the Russian Federation. In our country, they began to create and improve industry information systems: the Unified State Automated Information System for Accounting for Wood and Transactions with It (LesEGAIS) and the Federal State Information System for the Forestry Complex (FSIS LC). It is also planned to launch a unified electronic database of forest records and economic relations in 2025.

In recent years, new projects have been actively appearing in the industry:

• The timber industry holding Segezha Group has established its own IT company, Segezha Digital Solutions, which deals with centralized management of corporate information systems. The new structure will allow the company to reduce dependence on external contractors and create conditions for its own breakthrough IT developments.
• Mobile application from NeuroWood, which allows you to measure the dense volume of wood from one image. In 5–10 seconds, artificial intelligence algorithms will recognize each log and its diameter and classify it as a specific grade. Another application that helps measure wood is the ScanTrack complex. It can determine the diameter of logs along the perimeter of the stack based on data from 2D scanners or from a photograph of the end of the stack.
• At the initiative of the local government in the Perm Territory, the “Smart Forest” system has been developed and is operating - a unique project for the digitalization of the forest fund. The amount of information stored in the system provides all processes in developed forest regions. The system supports the work of 28 forest districts.
• In February 2023, the InnoGeoTech company, commissioned by the Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Tatarstan, completed a project to create a digital regional database of forest lands in the region. Experts have created a database of 732 layers, which include the boundaries of forest districts, the block forest management network, forest taxation units, and the boundaries of leased areas. They also made a single digital map containing information about forest lands.
• The remote monitoring and control system “Lesokhranitel” is already operating in a number of Russian regions - this is the world’s largest system in terms of the number of monitoring points with automatic detection of forest fires, based on artificial intelligence technologies.