What if we could have an entire forest in our pocket? How technology has become forests’ best ally

Close your eyes. Now, imagine a forest engineer in the middle of the forest. If you see a person with a chainsaw, think again.

Forests are not easy work environments. Such large surfaces, often on steep slopes and with very dense vegetation, require much worktime and great techniques for any planning, monitoring and management activity. It is unthinkable to know in detail the ecological, structural and functional characteristics of thousands of trees, and a monumental task to carry out samplings or cuttings in remote areas that are difficult to reach. It was unimaginable until technology entered the forest. Drones, sensors, software, satellites and Artificial Intelligence are of great help to foresters. Despite the common perception that forestry is all about chainsaws, nowadays, forest engineers are rather more likely to carry a drone in their backpack.

Then muddy boots, now drinking a cup of coffee

Not more than 10-15 years ago, long walks, many bulky notebooks for calculations, rough sketches and a lot of patience were required to carry out data collection and the planning of silvicultural interventions. The ultimate innovations were old-school instruments such as dendrometers, clinometers or increment borers to measure tree diameter, height and age. This permitted delivery of a small number of tasks in an entire working day, while the amount of information gathered and their accuracy was not always satisfactory.  Fortunately, as in many other fields and sectors, technology brought great help to the forestry world in recent years too. Whereas once the forest could be visualised only on a map with an accuracy of hundreds of meters, now digital maps in your PC, tablet or even smartphone allow a detail of only a few metres. You can see each single tree in the forest from the comfort of your desk or sofa, and even recognise what species it is.

But what has exactly changed?

Satellites or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) usually gather these images. One example of UAV is Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), a remote sensing technology that uses laser pulses to map the three-dimensional structure of forests. Yes, you understood well: if before the best you could get was a bird’s-eye view of huge forest areas, LiDAR now allows collecting data about tree dimensions (heights, diameter, volume, biomass etc.), species composition or even the amount of stored carbon in just a matter of minutes. You can literally keep the whole forest in your hand.

Drones are a real game changer too. If equipped with cameras that can take hyperspectral images, they can spot dying trees, monitor wildlife or map tree heights and densities, giving up-to-date information in real time and gathering a lot of high-resolution data in a short time without the need for taking a single step. Drones can also be equipped with scissors that cut trees from above the canopy, for example, in areas that are inaccessible by land. 

In addition, there are an increasing number of sensors that can be installed in the forest for additional information such as temperature, humidity, soil moisture and air quality. One example are the so-called “tree-talkers” that can inform about trees’ water status, leaf temperature, sap flow, or radiometric growth, the light transmitted by the crown, trunk oscillation and so on, being great sentinels as they can alert the user to possible stresses in the forest.

Another useful tool for risk prevention are cameras that can detect – through the help of artificial intelligence that analyses the images – the presence of smoke or flame at a distance, providing real-time alerts to forest managers about the start of a wildfire, and thus allowing immediate response.

However, it is not just about the present. Technology, in particular software, permits researchers or forest engineers to model the future of the forest, for example, simulating how the forest will grow or how a hypothetical natural disturbance or silvicultural intervention would affect the forest. Multiple scenarios can be obtained in just a few clicks, enabling more accurate and efficient forest planning.

Tool	Aim
UAV	Digitalization of the forest
Cameras	Real-time risk prevention
Drones	High-resolution mapping of unreachable areas
Sensors	Real-time monitoring of forest parameters
Software	Simulation of future scenarios

Edoardo Nevola, Forestry Officer at WWF Italy, confirms: “Technology is supporting so much forest planning, management and conservation in Italy. A first National Forest Informative System (SINFor) was finally created, and many new accurate data and information about national forests are now available, allowing more efficient management and conservation strategies of this valuable heritage. We, as WWF, had very satisfactory results in using technological tools that helped us in protecting key forest species or efficiently preventing wildfires”.

Andro Kokeza, Research Assistant at the Croatian Forest Research Institute, notes: “LiDAR is revolutionizing forestry. It allows us to create incredibly detailed 3D models of forest structures, from the canopy down to the undergrowth. This level of precision is something traditional methods simply can’t match. We can measure tree height, biomass, canopy density, and even detect changes in forest composition directly from our desk”.

The chainsaw could be broken. Or to put it better, the stereotype that nowadays is shattered it is still the main tool used in forests. Forest management goes well beyond tree cutting, and forest researchers, managers, conservations and engineers are advised to become real tech lovers. The next time you close your eyes and imagine a person in the middle of the forest, perhaps they are now surrounded by drones, sensors, cameras and much more. And the forest? You could find it in your pocket.

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This story package (article and video) was originally produced by Edoardo Nevola, Eva Groznik, Andrija Barisic, and Andro Kokeza as part of the EFI Young Leadership Programme – Mediterranean 2025.

Discover the rest of the YLP-MED 2025 story packages!