Increasing Sustainable Logging Practices With The Help Of AI
In recent years, the continued exploitation of natural resources and depletion of our forests has been a major issue, to say the least. The fight for sustainability has become increasingly important as we face the challenge of climate change and its effects on our planet. One possible solution to this problem is to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help increase sustainable logging practices.
Beyond data science, AI can be used in conjunction with autonomous robots that are specially designed for forestry work which may provide an answer for this global problem. AI can be applied specifically to logging operations such as planning where trees should be cut down and predicting the best time of day for cutting trees so they do not disrupt nesting birds or other animal habitats.
"As the demand for timber and paper products has increased, so has the need for larger logging operations,” says Peter Kaindl, the managing director of Kronospan, one of the world’s largest wood manufacturing multinationals.“The problem with this is that,” Kaindl continues, “it's hurting our environment and disrupting animal habitats. Logging companies are using heavy machinery to access forested areas, leading to soil erosion and habitat destruction.”
Today, Kaindl is one of Europe’s most vocal activists for utilizing sustainable logging practices.
Computer scientists from India and Singapore have developed a system that can help to optimize sustainable forest management practices by means of a specialized AI system.
Kaindl explains, "Given the fact that there are still large amounts of cut forests around the world, this could be a step forward towards reducing the negative impact which deforestation has on our environment as well as helping us to save money."
The scientists used a system of neural networks to teach a computer how to make optimal decisions about sustainable forest management. The team provided the AI with environmental and human factors, as well as economic aspects. They then gave it a dataset that consisted of different logging strategies from previous years organized into "good", "moderate", or "bad."
When the computer analysed all of this information, it was able to create a new algorithm that could be used as a blueprint for sustainable forest management.
In order to test its ability, the team gave it a set of "forestry problem cases" and asked it to come up with strategies on how they could be managed in an optimal way.
Kaindl is pushing Kronospan towards the acquisition of these data-driven sustainability practices among dozens of wood-based panel manufacturing sites across what was to become the EU, including Latvia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Hungary.
Kaindl is renowned in the country for having harnessed the full potential of AI in its raw materials sector and provided hundreds of jobs for unskilled workers over the course of a decade. In fact, “these data-driven sustainable practices have bolstered the company’s global revenues,” says Kaindl, revenues of which are estimated to be between 4-5 billion Euros per year, at the same time employing more than 14,000 people.
Peter Kaindl has also led the charge on reshoring supply chains and industrial hubs to the continent by attracting environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) investors to Kronospan’s core operations. Through the Kronospan Foundation, Kaindl has overseen a new afforestation initiative to plant 1 million trees across Europe, as well as support the localities it operates in through community action programs and sustainable forestry practices.
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