Sponsored by University of Idaho.
The University of Idaho is known for it’s exceptional research and cutting edge developments improving the way we live, including how we manage our forests. The UofI has developed one of the first programs in the country to use remote sensing, Artificial Intelligence, and other digital tools to help manage forests. This process is not only profound in over all forest health, but also plays a massive role in timber production, clean water resources, and wildlife habitat.
Not to mention the essential role it plays in wildfire safety. For decades, forest management was executed by hands-on observation and measurement. A slow, small scale process that only allowed only a sample of a forest to be observed. But with the use of digital tools, forest management is now entering into a profound time, that is truly a new frontier and revealing a new landscape called ‘smart forestry.’ Idaho Today’s Mellisa Paul spoke with Dennis Becker, Dean of The College Of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho to show how this emerging technology is revolutionizing 100 years of forest management practices.