Published: 27/08/24 By: Mike Bekin
Forestry is an age-old industry. The first example of purposefully raising trees in a planned forest nursery was in 1460 in Scotland, in the capable hands of William Blair. But just because it is old does not mean forestry cannot also be new! With advancing technology and a fresh perspective on sustainability, the latest innovations in the sourcing of timber for decking and cladding are here to stay.
To learn more about modern forestry, we have taken a look at some of the biggest breakthroughs shaping the future of this industry.
Skylining Timber
Skylining is a pretty niche innovation which has been gaining attention among sustainable forestry experts. Rather than using tractors and large machinery to remove felled trees from woodland, a crane is installed with a mechanical zipline. The log is attached to the line and lifted off the ground to be ‘ziplined’ out of the area.
There are a few perks to this technique including making it easier to reach tricky places, such as hillside forests or rockier surfaces. It removes the need for big machinery to navigate these areas, improving safety among the workers. This also offers advantages for the natural landscape, keeping heavier vehicles away from fragile wildlife and minimising the disruption to surrounding habitats.
You can see an example of skylining in action in Scotland, where the Forestry and Land team utilised this clever innovation to remove Douglas Firs from a particularly steep hillside. The trees themselves were felled using only a chainsaw and a wedge, further minimising the amount of heavy machinery needed on the land.
Planting Seeds With Drones
When you are installing timber sleepers on a construction site, you might not know that the story of your timber all started with a drone. These clever unmanned vehicles are able to navigate vast areas of land with ease, making them a useful tool in the timber industry where forests (or potential forests) can be hundreds of acres.
A key use of drones in forestry is to drop seeds. The drones can be loaded with the right seeds for the new forest and scatter them over the land, quickly planting them without disturbing any natural habitats. According to one source, drones can plant seeds 25x faster than manual planting, though they do tend to have lower success rates… for now.
Biotech Advancements
Biotechnology is becoming a crucial player in the modern forestry industry. Using intricate biotech science, trees can be tailored to suit the needs of the forests. For example, they can be made more resilient to fire or, by reducing lignin in the timber, improve the pulp yield of the tree.
Biotech can also improve the success rates of seeds and saplings by creating tougher species. This links with the drone technology above, but could also help maintain thriving biodiversity in a planet with a rapidly shifting climate.
Digital Forest Management
There are tons of digital forest management tools out there, from 3D mapping of forests to more generic project management software. One of the more exciting innovations, though, again involves the use of drones.
Forest management teams can utilise drones to manage huge areas of land. The drones are equipped with sensors to detect fires, monitor rainfall and even alert the handlers to potential illegal logging threats. It creates more safety and security around forestry, with a team of digital security guards patrolling from the skies.
Learn More With EcoChoice
At EcoChoice, we are experts in all things timber. To learn more about forestry and timber products, be sure to keep up with the latest posts on our blog.
We also deliver timber products to sites around the UK, encouraging more sustainable building through the use of responsibly sourced wood. From timber fencing and decking to marine groynes and construction bog mats, all our timber is from certified forests where sustainable innovations lead the way.
