Thinning from above with drones

The Swedish deep tech company AirForestry is developing a system in which autonomous electric drones perform forest thinning. The technology is built on the ambition to explore new forestry methods with a reduced impact on soil and environment.See the film below.

Together with each participating company, AirForestry will further develop and adapt its autonomous drone-based thinning system based on identified needs and operational processes. Throughout the project, the technology will be tested in live operations at each participating company.

Major opportunities

“SCA aims to drive technological development that makes forestry more efficient and sustainable. AirForestry has already made significant progress. Drone technology has expanded rapidly in recent years, and we see major opportunities for the industry in being part of that development. AirForestry’s concept has the potential to fundamentally transform thinning operations. The vision of the operator moving from joystick control to supervision—while the drone scans the forest and optimizes which trees to harvest—is now taking a clear step forward,” says Magnus Bergman, Head of Technology and Digitalization at SCA Skog, and continues:

“The platform shows strong potential for automation, where AI can determine which trees should be harvested. Allowing a swarm of drones to carry out thinning opens up entirely new ways of working and enables more individualized forest management. The ability to remove individual trees without creating extraction trails in first thinning is particularly exciting and can result in more wind-resistant stands. There are challenges, but AirForestry has the expertise and the team required, and we look forward to jointly developing a fully operational system for first thinning.”

Gentler thinning

Preliminary data indicate that AirForestry’s method can increase stand growth by eight percent over a full harvesting cycle – enabled in part by gentler thinning, while the system requires no strip roads and causes no soil compaction.

“It's genuinely exciting to have the opportunity now to show what our technology can do. It's especially valuable that we get to make this journey together with the forest industry, ensuring we build something that works in real operational conditions. At the same time, the forestry companies get the chance to follow the development early on and, together with us, evaluate how the technology fits into their operations,” says Erik Löthman at AirForestry, project manager for SAPP.

Learning and technology development

The project is focused on learning, evaluation and technology development. The four forest companies are jointly contributing SEK 20 million to AirForestry, creating the conditions for continued development and practical verification of the system over the coming years.

“AirForestry has the potential to fundamentally transform forestry, delivering higher productivity and environmental value at the same time. Holmen, SCA, Stora Enso and Sveaskog collectively manage millions of hectares of forest. Their support of SEK 20 million, combined with test sites, expertise, and time, means we can build the right product and scale it quickly. It’s a strong signal of where we’re headed,” says Caroline Walerud, CEO and co-founder of AirForestry.

The collaboration encompasses system adaptation, operational testing, and joint evaluation of findings and results.

Photo & film: Airforestry

For more information, contact:

Linnéa Skogh, AirForestry, press@airforestry.com

SCA press desk, tel +46 60-19 33 01