SingleTree is proud to highlight the progress made by our partner, Kelluu, in advancing aerial forest monitoring in northern Sweden. In 2024–2025, Kelluu established a temporary ground base at a local motor racing track near Sundsvall, supporting activities within “Single-tree monitoring” of the project. Their focus has been integrating a Lidar sensor into the SingleTree airship platform and conducting aerial survey flights as part of Living Lab Value Chain North (LLVC North), dedicated to developing single-tree based multifunctional forest management systems in SCA-owned boreal forests.
The ground base installation was completed in June, with initial test flights beginning in August after receiving operational authorisation. Despite early challenges with datalink connectivity, Kelluu successfully completed multiple test flights, including the first Lidar data collection missions, covering approximately 90 hectares of forest in the Sundsvall area. The Finnish Geospatial Research Institute (FGI) processed the collected data, which has been shared with the project for further analysis.
Kelluu has also refined flight planning parameters, enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of airborne data collection. During the SingleTree Annual Meeting in Sundsvall (Sweeden), a demonstration flight was conducted, followed by an open info session attended by representatives from SCA, the City of Sundsvall, and Swedish public broadcaster SVT.
Their work has already gained media attention, highlighting the potential of Zeppelin-like airships in modern forestry:
These milestones represent valuable lessons in airborne data collection, technological integration, and cross-institution collaboration, reinforcing SingleTree’s commitment to innovative, sustainable forest management.
