Research project PRECISION is an integrated project that addresses root and butt rot (RBR), the largest source of biomaterial and value loss in the primary production of the Norwegian forest sector. Even a small improvement in the information of the geographical location of RBR can lead to a very large financial gain for the forest sector.
PRECISION consists of a multidisciplinary research consortium spanning the fields of robotics and forest technology, remote sensing, pathology, silviculture, forest management planning, and economics. The consortium includes researchers from Norwegian research institutes and universities in partnership with leading international scientists. . The project is lead by NIBIO, Norway.
PRECISION aims at improving the carbon footprint and hence the overall sustainability of the Norwegian forest sector. RBR has a negative impact on the carbon footprint of the forestry sector as it reduces tree growth, increases tree mortality, and reduces the yield of saw timber that can substitute building materials with long lifetimes.
The role of UMU is to develop algorithms to detect root-rot in trees during harvesting and to evaluate which sensors are best for this purpose.
Links
researchgate.net
forestinventory.no/?p=1763
