Modern Silviculture Webinar “Pathways to precision silviculture”

On 07 October 2026, Nelson Mandela University hosted the 7th Modern Silviculture webinar under the theme “Pathways to Precision Silviculture". The webinar provided a platform for various industry stakeholders to share knowledge through presentations and discussions on modern silviculture technologies. This event was sponsored by IUFRO Division 3. The proceedings were held live on Teams and were attended by 350 people from 34 countries. Participants included academics, researchers, foresters, managers, contractors, consultants, machine manufacturers, and students. A summary of all the presentations is provided below. 

Mr Renwick Drysdale started his presentation by discussing how market forces and technological efficiency can influence forestry and woodland creation. He introduced the concept of Jevons’ paradox, which explains how improvements in efficiency can sometimes increase resource consumption rather than reduce it. He explored how markets for carbon and biodiversity credits are creating new opportunities for woodland restoration, while highlighting the need for infrastructure to support these strategic objectives. Through ACRE, an organisation established in 2019, he explained an integrated approach that combines tree nursery production, woodland creation project management, carbon and biodiversity credit registration, and technology systems. The approach aims to simplify the woodland establishment process by providing a single point of contact for activities ranging from seed sourcing and propagation to site preparation, planting, and long-term monitoring. He also described a modular, one-acre nursery designed to operate using solar power, battery storage, rainwater collection, and satellite internet. By reducing the nursery’s annual carbon emissions from approximately 290 tonnes to 70 tonnes, the system demonstrates how technology can improve sustainability while supporting large-scale woodland creation. His presentation further highlighted technologies that improve seedling quality, resource efficiency, and establishment success. A mini-plug propagation system allows seedlings to be selected and transplanted into final growing cells, reducing wasted growing medium and improving resource utilisation. He mentioned that paper-pot technology protects seedling root systems during handling and transport, encourages healthy root development through air pruning, and improves resistance to drought and transplant stress. He further reported that tree failure rates at one Scottish restoration project were approximately 9%, compared with up to 50% for bare-root seedlings at a nearby site, with some areas experiencing failure rates of 90% during dry periods. He also discussed research partnerships with Wageningen University and the Natural History Museum to improve nursery design and assess the biodiversity benefits of woodland restoration.

Ms Phozisa Dlokweni presented a study comparing manual knapsack spraying, tractor-mounted boom spraying, and drone-based spraying for vegetation management in a eucalypt plantation in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. She explained that, although harvesting and timber transport have undergone significant technological advancements, vegetation management remains one of the least mechanised silvicultural operations in South Africa. The study aimed to evaluate the productivity, costs, and quality of the three spraying systems, identify factors influencing productivity, and assess vegetation suppression and tree growth. Trials were conducted across two sites covering approximately 30 hectares, with data collected through time studies, GPS tracking, vegetation cover assessments, and measurements of tree survival, height, root collar diameter, and biomass. A standardised costing model was used to compare operational costs. The drone achieved the highest productivity and lowest direct application costs during pre-plant spraying, while the knapsack system required more labour and had higher operational costs. However, the drone could only be used for pre-plant spraying because there were no existing registered herbicides for post-plant application at the time of the study. The results showed that all spraying systems achieved survival rates of approximately 85–95% after the initial assessment, although an infestation affected one site and reduced survival in the tractor boom-sprayed treatment before replanting. The tractor-mounted boom sprayer provided relatively consistent long-term vegetation suppression but was limited to level and gently sloping terrain. The knapsack and drone treatments, supplemented by manual or tractor-based follow-up spraying where necessary, showed favourable tree growth results at the fifth month, while the control plots also demonstrated growth despite receiving no chemical treatment. The study highlighted important trade-offs between productivity, cost, vegetation control, and operational limitations. The main conclusion was that equipment selection should be based on site conditions, operational requirements, and cost-effectiveness. Drone spraying offers considerable productivity and cost advantages for pre-plant applications, while tractor-mounted boom spraying is suitable where terrain permits. However, chemical registration limitations, labour requirements, operator exposure, and the need for effective post-plant vegetation management remain important considerations when selecting the most appropriate system.

Mr Sibusiso Sibanyoni presented Mondi’s journey towards modernising its tree-planting operations. He distinguished modernisation, which involves adopting improved tools, methods and technologies, from mechanisation, which focuses on introducing machines into operations. Historically, Mondi relied on manual planting, which required substantial labour and exposed workers to ergonomic and safety risks. The company later adopted semi-mechanised systems, where tractors carried planting materials and reduced the physical demands on workers. Its current focus is on developing single-pass planting systems that combine pitting and planting in one operation, reducing the number of machine passes, improving operational efficiency and supporting precision forestry through data collection. Mondi has trialled equipment developed by Risutec and Novelquip. Safety, cost-effectiveness, productivity, planting quality, survival, stocking uniformity and data availability were identified as key considerations when evaluating these technologies. He shared that trials conducted achieved an average survival rate of approximately 96% and planting-quality compliance of 94% at three months, with stocking uniformity averaging 74%. Productivity averaged around 240 plants per hour (Risutec) in KwaZulu-Natal Zululand, where the operation primarily involved planting (minimal soil preparation and irrigation), and 183 plants per hour (Novelquip) in Mpumalanga, where pitting, planting and watering were combined. During the trials, Mondi planted approximately 151 hectares in Zululand and 9.8 hectares in Mpumalanga. The presentation also highlighted the importance of suitable seedling height, strong and well-hardened plants, consolidated root plugs and appropriate planting depth to prevent blockages and maintain machine performance. Although the systems have shown promising results, further work is needed to improve productivity, assess operating costs, and identify the most suitable machine carriers for different conditions. He concluded by mentioning that future development will also focus on using GPS-based planting data to monitor individual trees, measure productivity in real time, and support better operational decisions. Furthermore, continued collaboration with contractors, equipment manufacturers, and forestry personnel will be essential to refine the systems and support wider implementation.

Mrs Dianne Patzel provided an overview of Australian plantation forestry, which spans 1.82 million hectares of commercial plantations, including approximately 1.06 million hectares of Pinus radiata and 0.74 million hectares of Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus nitens. She highlighted developments in tree breeding, sustainability, artificial intelligence (AI), and biological pest control, as well as collaborative research involving universities, forestry companies, and the Forestry Centre of Excellence. Key silvicultural projects aim to improve tree survival, productivity, and timber quality through mechanical planting trials using PlantmaX technology, comparisons of early and late planting, and evaluations of mechanical and manual planting. Researchers are also investigating drones, LiDAR, and remote sensing to improve seedling detection, plantation inventories, and predictions of establishment success. In addition, research is exploring technologies to detect Koalas in plantations, improving harvesting safety, protecting wildlife, and supporting environmental certification, with the long-term goal of integrating detection sensors into harvesting machinery. Her presentation also covered forest health monitoring, particularly of pests and diseases such as Sirex, Diplodia, and bark beetles, as well as drought-related stress. Collaborative surveillance programmes use aerial monitoring, satellite imagery, drones, and AI-based methods to identify and assess forest disturbances. Research using Sentinel-2 imagery, machine learning, and deep learning aims to develop decision-support systems that alert forestry managers to potential pest and disease outbreaks. Other projects combine surveillance data, climate scenarios, pest development models, and economic assessments to support forecasting and the development of a forest health dashboard. Finally, Patzel discussed water-use management in South Australia, where water licensing restrictions have affected plantation expansion. Research is examining tree water use, evapotranspiration, remote sensing, and sensor networks to better understand how water availability, plantation productivity, silvicultural practices, and forest health are related. Overall, the presentation emphasised the importance of technology, research collaboration, and data-driven decision-making in improving the productivity, sustainability, and resilience of Australian plantation forestry.

Dr Angelo Moura began his presentation by discussing why and when the forestry industry should adopt new technologies, identifying four key drivers: people, productivity, precision, and sustainability. He explained that although artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies offer significant opportunities, adoption remains slow due to high implementation costs, energy requirements, data storage expenses, uncertainty about return on investment, and challenges with integrating systems. He highlighted a technology maturity pathway from manual operations to mechanisation, automation, and fully integrated, data-driven processes. He explained that several technologies are already being used commercially, including drone spraying, precision fertilisation, machine telemetry, LiDAR-based forest inventories, satellite and drone imagery for plantation monitoring, and AI-powered fire detection. However, fully integrated forestry operations and autonomous harvesting systems remain under development, with adoption varying across companies and regions. Dr Moura emphasised that successful technology adoption requires balancing technological capability, practical field requirements, and business benefits. He cautioned against implementing technologies without adequate testing, realistic cost assessments, employee engagement, and training. He mentioned that future developments may include site-specific fertilisation and weed control, autonomous planting, robotic systems, drone swarms, automated firefighting, and dynamic operational planning using real-time data from machines, sensors, and enterprise systems. He noted that although many of these technologies already exist, their economic viability, reliability, and suitability for forestry operations must be validated before large-scale implementation. His key takeaways were to start small, test technologies under real operating conditions, measure their benefits, and scale up successful solutions.

Mr Niko Solopuro presented on mechanised plantation operations, emphasising that precision and operational planning are essential to improve productivity and ensure successful plantation establishment. He explained that harvesters can record the exact locations of stumps during harvesting, providing valuable information for planning subsequent rotations and determining planting-row positions. This information can be integrated into digital systems such as John Deere’s AutoTrac to guide soil preparation machinery accurately along predetermined lines. According to Mr Solopuro effective soil preparation keeps heavy residues out of planting rows and ensures prepared strips meet the required specifications. He also highlighted the advantages of using skidders for soil preparation in forestry conditions, including longer operating hours, higher productivity, and mechanical availability of up to 95%, compared with approximately 80–85% for tractors under similar conditions. In addition, he emphasised the importance of seedling quality, noting that seedlings should meet specified height and substrate requirements, as poor-quality or unsuitable seedlings can negatively affect planting performance when planting with machines. He also discussed the development of the John Deere 5016G automated planting machine, which is still being tested and is not yet in full commercial production. The machine is designed to plant and irrigate automatically, targeting approximately 1,200–1,400 seedlings per hour. It can accommodate different row spacings, making it adaptable to varying plantation conditions. He proposed an operational system that integrates planting machinery, water and seedling supply, nursery assistance, and excavators to manage challenging terrain and areas unsuitable for conventional planting machinery. He also indicated that digital mapping systems can record planted seedlings, identify unsuitable planting locations, and monitor operational productivity. He concluded by reiterating that mechanisation should be evaluated beyond seedlings planted per hour, focusing instead on overall operational efficiency, planting quality, survival, and cost consolidation across multiple activities. He reported that the Brazilian trials demonstrated improvements in seedling selection quality, with recent results reaching about 97% survival.