Forestry in the fourth industrial revolution
How 4IR technology is shaping the forest sector
The New York Times’ genius, Kara Swisher believes that “the world’s first trillionaire will be a green-tech entrepreneur”
How and when, we really can’t tell.
What we know, for sure, is that nature and technology have become more interlinked than we previously thought possible.
For many centuries before the twenty-first, the forest sector was characterized by conventional practices that simply stood the test of time. Most jobs then required one to know the basics of plant propagation or to acquire skills in tree mensuration and by extension, timber processing.
Over the last few decades however, there has been a gradual shift in forestry that can be attributed to fourth industrial revolution technologies. Many conventional ‘maneuvers’ in research, product development, and distribution have since been disrupted by these technologies.
To start with, forest data collection has been revolutionized by the employment of satellite imagery; high resolution and infrared cameras, and drones or unmanned aircraft.
The original purpose for most of these optical tools was to acquire real-time information on forest resources. Their application has now extended to other operations including wildlife tracking, airborne seed dispersal and weather pattern assessment.
While drone surveillance under forest canopies is still particularly challenging, some researchers are keen to address this shortcoming by implanting microsensors in trees to guide drone movement under tree canopies.
Then there’s the influence of the ‘Internet of Things’ on consumption patterns for some forest products.
Whereas paper was often required to manage chain operations through logistics tracking, wireless trackers and other connected appliances have quickly replaced this need. Indeed, it’s had to tell the future of pulp and paper production with everything from seasonal cards, gift vouchers, certificates, and receipts becoming electronic. What’s true is that localized demand for paper has surely scaled down.
Biotechnology previously aided only in controlled breeding by facilitating gene editing and LED light cultivation.
Today, the application of 4IR biotechnology has extended to monitoring tree phenology using smart nano-based biotechnology sensors. The rapid advancement of forest biotechnology raises concerns on the sustainability and future of ‘traditional’ tree nurseries.
There is little debate when it comes to the efficiency of simple processing technologies such as sawmill machines. To optimize production chains, some wood processing companies have opted for precision forestry facilitated by computerized execution systems. 4IR robotics has found its way into the sector through facilitating advanced wood processing such as digital fabrication managed by computational designs.
The influence of 4IR technology might also be felt in the forest sector through advanced energy storage. Widespread adoption of lithium battery cars, for example, could see a decline in the demand for fossil fuels in transportation — and aid in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, an adverse effect that might arise as the demand for lithium increases is a loss in forest cover, as many lithium reserves are situated in forest ecosystems.
And while virtual and augmented reality seem like distant concepts for the forest sector, nuances created using these technologies might somehow find their way into ecotourism.
The application of virtual reality technology dates back as far as the 1800 and has chiefly gained ground in entertainment, education and business. For technology enthusiasts and early adopters, this technology may present unique opportunities in the tourism sector especially in addressing ecosystem carrying capacity and travel restrictions.
Big data applications such as the FAO and UN-REDD Open Foris Arena are now being leveraged in the analysis of metadata for research purposes; while projections of returns from forest investment — usually estimated by forest managers — might soon be computed using data analytics and advanced simulations.
The alarming rates of global forest cover loss and the equally rapid advancement of technology make it hard to predict what the forest sector will look like in years to come. What we can be certain of is that 4IR technology is already shaking up the things that we previously thought were ‘sector norms’.
It’s encouraging to see that even sub-Saharan countries are taking interest in the link between two very distinct spheres — nature and technology. After all, this link is creating efficiency and increasing productivity in numerous ways.
