AirForestry, Holmen, SCA, Stora Enso, and Sveaskog are joining forces in the Swedish AirForestry Pilot Project (SAPP). The project is designed to jointly develop, test and evaluate drone-based thinning technology. The four forestry companies are jointly committing €1.8M (SEK 20 million) in contracted pilot revenue.

AirForestry is developing a system in which autonomous electric drones perform forest thinning. The technology is built on the ambition to create a new system for forestry operations with a reduced impact on soil and environment. Preliminary data also 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 now have the opportunity to show what our technology can do. It's especially valuable that we get to make this journey together with key players in the forestry sector, 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.

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.

“Sveaskog’s continued collaboration with AirForestry is closely aligned with our ambition to drive the development of precision forestry forward. As an early investor and partner, it has been exciting to follow AirForestry’s development of the drone technology from the beginning. We see it as very positive that more forestry companies are now joining the initiative, and that together we will be able to test, evaluate, and further develop the technology directly in our forests,” says Per Callenberg, Head of Sustainable Business Development at Sveaskog.

"SCA wants to drive technological development that makes forestry both more efficient and better. AirForestry has already made significant progress. Drone technology has advanced 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 change thinning operations. The vision of the operator moving from actively controlling the machine to supervising operations, while the drone scans the forest and optimizes which trees to remove, is now taking a clear step forward,” says Magnus Bergman, Head of Technology and Digitalization at SCA Skog.

The project is focused on learning, evaluation and technology development. The four forest companies are jointly contributing €1.8 million (SEK 20 million) to AirForestry, creating the conditions for continued development and practical verification of the system over the coming years.

"This is an exciting opportunity to test how we can develop forestry in the future. It is an interesting technological development and a completely new way of felling trees. Potentially, it can solve many of the challenges we have in thinning forests. This does not cause any soil damage and that it enables high precision when harvesting individual trees in order to reduce unnecessary thinning. This opens up new opportunities to optimize and better control the thinning extraction. In addition, the drones are powered by electricity, which reduces emissions," says Martin Whillans, Development Manager Harvesting at Stora Enso.

“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 €1.8 million (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.

"We want to practice active forestry that combines high timber production and efficient methods with resilient forests and healthy ecosystems. That means continuously evaluating how our forestry operations impact the forest and what footprint we leave behind. We are participating in SAPP because we see that an advanced precision tool such as drone technology could make forestry both more efficient and less intrusive,” says Jonas Eriksson, Head of Forest and Land at Holmen.

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About SAPP – Swedish AirForestry Pilot Project

SAPP is an industry-wide collaboration program between AirForestry and SCA, Holmen, Stora Enso and Sveaskog. The project aims to develop, adapt and evaluate autonomous drone-based thinning in live operational settings.