A research initiative in New Brunswick is utilizing satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to locate and forecast the whereabouts of ancient forests, aiming to enhance forestry management practices. The Northern Hardwoods Research Institute is spearheading this endeavor, supported by funding from the Canadian Space Agency at its facility in Edmundston. By leveraging data from satellites that cover the same forested regions on a weekly basis, the team seeks to equip forestry managers with the necessary tools to safeguard old forests housing diverse and vital ecosystems crucial for certain species’ survival.
Gaetan Pelletier, the institute’s executive director, highlighted the significance of these unique ecosystems, noting the current lack of technology or resources to identify them proactively before logging activities commence. Through the utilization of satellites equipped with approximately 10 sensors for data collection, the project aims to monitor various forest elements such as dead trees, windfalls, and hollow trees serving as habitats for specific species. Among the species reliant on old forests, Pelletier emphasized the chimney swift as a notable example, known for occupying urban chimneys and hollow trees in natural settings.
The research initiative will gather dual layers of data using satellite technology to identify large forested areas likely to contain hollow trees and pinpoint specific hollow trees within those regions. Pelletier envisions the integration of live maps derived from this data into harvester machines’ navigation systems, enabling real-time alerts for forest areas and specific trees to avoid during harvesting operations. The project, slated to run for 18 to 24 months, targets the provision of testing solutions by March 2026, with a prototype map dataset anticipated for deployment to foresters in New Brunswick by the following autumn.
This project is one of 20 endeavors nationwide funded by the Canadian Space Agency, with the Northern Hardwoods Research Institute securing a $250,000 grant and estimating a total project cost of $500,000.