Editor's note
Hello and welcome to this edition of BTB.
The unintended theme of this week is how rapidly multitemporal data is reshaping forestry. As more organisations start to combine repeated drone flights, aerial imagery and historical stand information, the results are becoming both practical and commercially relevant.
At the same time, new Swedish funding signals that richer datasets may soon support business models where biodiversity is tracked, valued and integrated into everyday decisions. When both technology and incentives begin to rely on continuous, comparable data over time, the opportunities for more adaptive and transparent forest management grow considerably.
Axel
Site index from remote sensing plus NFI plots
Researchers combine multitemporal remote sensing with repeated plots from Spain’s National Forest Inventory to estimate site index across large areas. The method links ground‑based growth data with EO signals to create spatially continuous productivity layers usable in planning and carbon accounting.
Tracking forest growth from space in southern China
A Journal of Remote Sensing article presents methods for tracking forest growth in southern China using satellite time series. The study quantifies growth dynamics and spatial variability, showing how spaceborne monitoring can support management and policy evaluation over large regions.
AI collaboration: Södra and Terra Labs
Södra is accelerating its AI work with Terra Labs, using the platform as a shared backbone for data and decision support in its forest business. The interesting part is finally seeing more concrete details on how the collaboration will support planners with higher‑precision insights and more tailored plans for each member forest.
Arboair–Forsler AI precision forestry in Denmark
Arboair and Forsler have entered a partnership to deploy AI‑powered precision forestry services in Denmark, combining drone or aerial imagery with machine‑learning analysis of stands. The collaboration aims to give Danish forest owners detailed health, damage and volume insights, enabling more targeted interventions and higher-value harvest planning.
Swedish funding for new forest business models
Vinnova highlights how new business models could turn biodiversity from an externality into a core asset of the forest economy. Through the Biocredits project, led by Skogforsk with partners including KTH, WWF, Swedish authorities and industry, the agency backs work to give concrete market value to conservation and restoration efforts in production forests.