From August 19–21, SingleTree held its annual meeting in Sundsvall, Sweden, hosted by our partner SCA. The event provided an excellent opportunity to explore SCA’s fully integrated value chain – from forest management to the final product – and to gain insights into how advanced digitalization is driving innovation across the sector.
During the meeting, partners reviewed progress on various work packages and data requirements, while setting priorities for the next three years as the project enters a new phase of implementation. A key highlight was the first trial of the Kelluu airship equipped with LiDAR technology, which demonstrated significant potential for collecting high-resolution data across extensive forest areas. In parallel, the team also tested a machine-based sensor solution, enabling both above-canopy scanning and continuous monitoring during operations.
On the software side, partners are seeing substantial progress in the development of foundation models for forest point cloud data. This is an area that has not previously been explored and is already producing very promising results. The combination of more efficient data collection methods with advances in artificial intelligence has the potential to transform forestry practices and deliver significant value to the wider community.
The meeting also included a field and industry visit with SCA, where participants had the opportunity to observe how digital innovation is being applied in practice. It was particularly impressive to see real-time single-tree updates generated by harvesters and forwarders, as well as the seamless integration of modern technologies throughout the entire process, from harvesting to finished products.
Looking ahead, the insights gained in Sundsvall mark an important step forward, and the consortium is confident that the progress made over the coming year will be substantial. The next SingleTree meeting will take place in Switzerland, where they look forward to sharing further developments.
