Editor's note
This week offers a good snapshot of some early evolutions in precision forestry. Across research groups, startups and established players, new capabilities are quietly finding their way into everyday forest management, more accurate planning, better data fusion, clearer carbon estimates and improved positioning under canopy. Not a distant vision, but a steady flow of practical advances.
Thanks to everyone who has shared Boreal Tech Brief lately. It helps more than you might think and makes it possible to keep covering developments like these.
Here are the week’s highlights.
Axel
IBM and Polytechnique build AI‑quantum “brain” for Canada’s forest supply chain
IBM and Polytechnique Montréal are co‑developing an AI‑ and quantum‑enabled decision‑support tool for Canada’s forest value chain, integrating operational data, digital twins and multi‑objective optimization to improve harvest planning, yield forecasts and low‑carbon logistics in rural forest‑dependent regions.
Arboair argues forestry must shift from intuition to deterministic decisions
Arboair’s article describes a move from experience‑based planning to “deterministic forestry,” where drone imagery, AI and structured data generate repeatable decisions on thinning, risk and value. The piece positions Scandinavian forestry as ripe for algorithmic workflows instead of gut feel in the field.
Stanford AI model promises more credible forest carbon credits
Researchers from Stanford, Brown and Planet Labs built an AI system that fuses satellite and LiDAR data to map forest structure and above‑ground carbon at 30 m resolution. The goal is to provide transparent, auditable MRV for forest carbon projects and national baselines ahead of upcoming UN climate talks.
Arboreal adds RTK‑grade tree coordinates via Emlid Reach RX
Arboreal Forest now connects to the Emlid Reach RX GNSS receiver, combining RTK position with AR and LiDAR measurements in the app to calculate stem centers within a few decimeters. This enables precise plot revisits, UAV‑ground data fusion and higher‑precision planning under dense Nordic canopy.
Report: Forests are strategic assets for Europe
Future of Forestry’s new policy paper argues that forest biomass is a strategic asset for Europe’s climate goals, energy security and competitiveness. It is not tech‑focused, but sets the political and market context that digital, AI and automation solutions in forestry will have to navigate in the coming decade.