Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups working on solutions for the environment. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we decided to share our insights with you. This time, we are taking a look at 5 promising forestry management solutions.
Heat Map: 5 Top Forestry Management Solutions
Using our StartUs Insights Platform, covering 1.116.000+ startups & emerging companies, we looked at innovation in the field of forestry. For this research, we identified 156 relevant solutions and picked 5 to showcase below. These companies were chosen based on a data-driven startup scouting approach, taking into account factors such as location, founding year, and technology among others. Depending on your specific criteria, the top picks might look entirely different.
The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 5 startups & emerging companies developing forestry management solutions. Moreover, the Heat Map reveals regions that observe a high startup activity and illustrates the geographic distribution of all 156 companies we analyzed for this specific topic.
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DroneSeed – Drone-Based Reforestation
One of the obstacles hindering the scale of reforestation and afforestation programs is speed. Normally, it takes a significant amount of time and manual human efforts to plant hundreds of new trees per day. With the help of drones, the process becomes much faster and more efficient. Loaded with seeds and nutrients, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) fly and release seeds pods into the ground. This enables covering large areas of land with greater efficiency, thus achieving economies of scale.
The US-based startup DroneSeed tackles automation issues of wildfire reforestation with UAVs. While flying, drones carry and eject capsules that contain seeds, fertilizers, hydrogels, and pesticides, over specified areas. The solution significantly outperforms manual tree planters with the help of proprietary seed dispersion vessels and a scalable fleet.
Arbre Technologies – Tree Inventory Management
When planting new trees, it is also essential to monitor the progress of existing reforestation and afforestation initiatives. A tree inventory management system aids foresters in creating a detailed index of planted trees, as well as corresponding valuable data such as species, size, location, peculiarities, growing patterns, to name a few. Mediated by GPS, RFID, and various sensors, tree inventory management solutions facilitate forestry management and strategic planning.
The US-based startup Arbre Technologies develops an inventory tracking and management system for trees and green assets. The solution uses RFID tags to store and retrieve data on chosen planting parameters about each tree, presenting instant visibility to planters. Besides, the RFID tag transmits information to the cloud and enables regular monitoring.
Nucleario – Autonomous Maintenance
For young and vulnerable tree seedlings, the first years are the most critical, as they require sufficient water, light, and protection to grow strong roots and withstand changing weather conditions. Startups across the world design biodegradable small factor-form sanctuaries, carts, frames, and cocoons that spur autonomous or semi-autonomous maintenance of young trees. They grant the required protection during the initial years, regulate irrigation, and lower the need for manual maintenance.
Brazilian company Nucleario aims at decreasing the costs of labor, moisture, fertilization, and pesticides for seedlings with its biomimicry-based autonomous maintenance system. Their biodegradable product performs multiple functions such as controlled water management and protection against ants and other insects. Moreover, the startup offers weed competition control among other services.
20tree.ai – Forest Analytics
To plan and launch successful large-scale forest restoration and administration projects, decision-makers have to rely on well-founded analytics of chosen areas. Modern startups combine artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms with aerial and satellite data to generate the required location-based intelligence. Analytics also helps in estimating tree productivity to identify and address potential risks on time.
Dutch startup 20tree.ai develops an AI-based forest intelligence platform for automated satellite data analytics of tree and land assets, urban green spaces, and vegetation. The startup helps predict short- and long-term consequences of planting activities and pinpoints threats. Additionally, the platform analyzes forest health and arranges continuous remote monitoring of specific areas.
Treejer – Personal Carbon Offsets
Planting new trees represent an ethical and personal way to contribute to global decarbonization initiatives. Startups across the world develop dedicated solutions and apps that allow users to donate some amount of money towards reforestation/afforestation in exchange for carbon offsets. These applications usually involve Blockchain, gamification, tree tracking, or community building that altogether motivate people to counterbalance their CO2 footprint.
Estonian startup Treejer intends to build a transparent afforestation/reforestation model and a dedicated community ecosystem. In this model, individuals and businesses are driven by financial and reputational incentives to donate money for one’s carbon offsetting and tree planting in rural areas. The solution grounds on the use of blockchain, as well as concepts of tokenomics, gamification, and social forestry.
What About The Other 151 Solutions?
While we believe data is key to creating insights it can be easy to be overwhelmed by it. Our ambition is to create a comprehensive overview and provide actionable innovation intelligence so you can achieve your goals faster. The 5 forestry management solutions showcased above are promising examples out of 156 we analyzed for this article. To identify the most relevant solutions based on your specific criteria, get in touch.
