Research project Digital forestry technologies are increasingly used in decision‑making but risks reflecting the priorities of large actors while excluding others. By studying the use of the decision‑support system Heureka, we explore how digital tools can become more fair, transparent, and inclusive.
Digital forestry technologies are increasingly used in decision‑making but risks reflecting the priorities of large actors while excluding others. By studying the use of the decision‑support system Heureka, we explore how digital tools can become more fair, transparent, and inclusive.
In forestry, large amounts of data are collected through digital technologies and used in planning and decision‑making. While these technologies may appear objective, they can reflect the priorities of the actors who design them and risk obscuring other interests. Ensuring that digital forestry technologies are developed in an inclusive and transparent way is therefore essential.
Digital tools now play a central role in forest planning. Drones, satellite imagery, and advanced analytical systems enable detailed mapping of forest resources, support harvest planning, and help optimize operations and logistics in ways that were previously impossible. Yet their growing influence raises important questions about how they shape the balance between forest use and conservation.
The data and models used in these tools may disadvantage small forest owners, Indigenous communities, and the broader public, particularly when they are built around the assumptions and priorities of larger actors. This is problematic given the high level of digital maturity in Sweden, where accessible and intuitive digital experiences are an established part of everyday life.
The research group argues that strengthening environmental justice within digital forestry is key to creating more sustainable, fair, and inclusive forest‑planning processes. Doing so requires acknowledging a wider range of perspectives and enabling more stakeholders to influence how digital systems frame both problems and solutions. Decisions made with such tools could then better support the long‑term wellbeing of both forests and society.
To investigate these issues, the project conducts a qualitative case study of Heureka, a decision‑support system developed at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). Heureka allows users to perform a wide range of analyses and develop forest‑management plans under different scenarios. By examining how the system is used in practice, the researchers aim to understand how digital technologies influence transparency, equality, and inclusiveness in forest planning—and how development processes could be opened to more voices.
