FOREST 4.0

Abstract

During the project launch event held at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), the partners of the FOREST 4.0 project set the goal to establish a competence centre that would help to transform the monitoring, data collection and analysis of the forest environment, and to make meaningful use of the data collected. According to the project leader, Prof. Dr. Tomas Krilavičius, Dean of the Faculty of Informatics at VMU, the aim of FOREST 4.0 is to contribute to Lithuania's smart specialisation strategy by developing an innovative, forest-based bioeconomy in Lithuania and digitising forest activities. "FOREST 4.0 will contribute to the science-based contribution of sustainably managed forests to the implementation of the European Green Deal, as well as some of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and to the transition to a circular and sustainable bio-economy, through the application of innovative data collection and processing applications," the representative of the VMU said. The Centre of Excellence for Smart Forestry will carry out top-level research. "Our main objective is to create a centre of excellence for forest-related AI and IoT technologies to develop and promote innovative data-driven solutions for forestry management along the entire value chain - from forest resource management to end products. The Centre of Excellence will aim to mobilise and engage stakeholders not only in Lithuania, but also globally," said Prof. Dr. T. Krilavičius. The first meeting also discussed the challenges of establishing a Smart Forestry Competence Centre in Lithuania and why the sector needs the attention of researchers. Researchers and industry representatives had an excellent opportunity to share best practices, future perspectives on forest management, different visions and identify the need for collaboration with different stakeholders: industry, ministries, local and external stakeholders, etc. After the kick-off event, a meeting of the project partners was held, during which the team discussed the candidates for the Advisory Board, the research strategy, presented the work plan of each working group, etc.