Some thoughts from the Programme Manager on the latest Programme Conference

It was good to see so many people, around 100 participants, braving the snowy weather to attend the Programme Conference in November, in the Wooden Hall at the Technical Museum. For me, one of the highlights of the year is to meet up and discuss ongoing projects, as well as what is up ahead of us.

Mistra Digital Forest is all about using digitalisation to propel forestry towards its intended goals, and to enhance all three dimensions of sustainable development - and this event was no exception. The projects presented at the programme conference made the digital benefits tangible. Among other things, we gained insight into the development of automated solutions for resource-smart forestry. Some of the projects presented the way in which they are working with smart decision support in forest planning, while others are exploring how digital twins can facilitate dialogue processes. We understood that we find ourselves in the middle of a ‘perfect storm’ of forest digitalisation and automation, and that this will have a major impact in the years ahead.

There was a wonderful atmosphere during the day. The is a huge appetite for meeting and discussing! We were pleased to see so many different groups being represented. Football references abounded, not least it was emphasised that we are participating in a team sport. Herman Sundqvist, Director General of the Swedish Forest Agency, pointed out how important it is for us to join forces, and make the necessary investments in order to take full advantage of digitalisation. We are good at doing things together. We see this not least in Mistra Digital Forest, where academia, established companies and innovative start-ups are collaborating to promote digitalisation. How we are going to make data available and share it was a hot topic at the programme conference. On the one hand, open data is a prerequisite for digital development, but on the other hand, it poses risks to forest stakeholders and to national security. This is an area that entails numerous trade-offs at a time when technology is developing at a rapid pace, and we are constantly having to deal with new conditions.

Maria Wetterstrand from the programme board noted that telepathy is overrated as a means of communication. This brought to mind the solutions being developed within Mistra Digital Forest, and how they help to strengthen dialogue between forest stakeholders. Making different interests more visible, and ensuring that we develop decision support that responds to differences in digital competence, are both important aspects of democratic digitalisation. It’s going to be exciting to keep to following the projects in this area.

We are at the beginning of a major change that will strengthen the role of the forest sector in a sustainable societal transition, but that demands major investments, and we will make them best together.

Thank you to all of you who braved the snow and came to the programme conference. And to all of you who couldn't make it but have taken the time to read this far - hope to see you next time!

Sverker Danielsson, programme manager Mistra Digital Forest.