🌳 Drone swarms, timber mega bridges, and smarter forest data

Jens Isbak

Welcome to this week's newsletter 👋🏻

From AI-coordinated firefighting drones to a record-breaking wooden bridge and new ways to update your forest data, this week’s issue is packed with bold ideas from the frontier of forestry and technology.

💬 In this issue:

Foresting Tomorrow #29: Drones, VR and a 400m timber bridge 📰
Feature story: Fighting fire from above—Canada’s AI swarm drones 🚁
Success story: Sweden’s timber megabridge takes shape 🌉
Product update: Dynamic forest data—updated in one click 📈
Further reading: Sources and tools 🤓

Let’s dive in! 👇

🎙️ Podcast episode 29: Drones, VR and a 400m timber bridge

In this week’s episode, we explore the expanding role of tech in forests—from firefighting drones and virtual learning to monumental timber design:

A new drone partnership using AI swarms and ultra-heavy-lift UAS to combat wildfires in Canada
Forest VR gives students a headset-powered look into sustainable forestry
Sweden plans to build its longest ever wooden suspension bridge—at 400 metres!
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And along the way, we ask:

Can swarm-based drones truly shift wildfire response?
Should foresters train with VR—and how real is “real enough”?
Are mega wooden bridges just symbolic—or practical climate tools?

🌳 Listen to the latest episode of Foresting Tomorrow here 🌳
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‍🚁 Feature story: Fighting fire from above—Canada’s AI swarm drones

Canada is trialling a radical new solution to a rising threat: wildfire.

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, Strategic Natural Resource Group and FireSwarm Solutions are rolling out autonomous ultra-heavy-lift drones that can operate when traditional aircraft can’t—at night, in smoke, and in remote terrain. The AI-coordinated fleet works in swarms and can carry up to 400 kg of water per drone, enabling faster, more precise response.

“Extending operations to nighttime is an intuitively efficient and generational leap in safety,” — Domenico Iannidinardo, CEO of Strategic

With testing underway and deployment planned for 2026, this BC-based initiative could rewrite wildfire defence—especially in underserved First Nation territories.

📄 Read the full article here →

🌉 Success story: Sweden’s timber megabridge takes shape

Skanska has signed a $39 million contract to build Karlgårdsbron—a 400-metre wooden suspension bridge across the Skellefte River, making it Sweden’s longest of its kind.

With timber trusses, cross beams and a cross-tensioned wood slab deck supported by steel hangers, this engineering feat blends durability with sustainability. Construction begins now and wraps up in late 2027.

Why it matters:

Timber bridges are lighter, faster to build, and store carbon
Off-site production minimises disruption
The revival of wood in civil infrastructure continues to gain ground

📘 Learn more about Karlgårdsbron →
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📈 Product update: Dynamic forest data—updated in one click

New in version 2.12.1: You can now update your entire forest dataset across multiple years—all at once.

Our new Dynamic Forest Data feature automatically reviews your compartments and projects them to a consistent baseline, even if some haven’t been updated annually.

It’s perfect for getting your registrations up to speed before planning, reporting or certification.