Future Forest Forum 2024
This year's Future Forest Forum drew over 400 participants from both Germany and abroad to Blankenburg. The Future Forest Forum took place on the 6th and 7th of September 2024, and encompassed interactive workshops, excursions, startup pitches, and networking sessions. During these events, stakeholders such as forest owners, startups, scientists, forest managers, entrepreneurs, and investors came together to discuss innovative solutions to future problems.
The wetransform team was present, both to report on the current status of our FutureForest project and to join in on the discussions. Over two days of presentations, panels, and workshops, we were able to gather valuable insights into data infrastructures and data exchange.
Climate Change - Impact and Adaptation
- The time to act is now. Tipping points have already been reached and while the solutions to many issues exist, they still need to be rolled out swiftly: "The only currency is speed and scale!"
- Climate-adapted reforestation needs to occur effectively and within a very narrow timeframe, which poses significant challenges. We cannot afford to get it wrong. In a few years, robotics will be able to assist.
- In order to manage both the economic impact of the forest, as well as its intrinsic value, risk management is a vital part of every new process.
Economic Efficiency - Scaling and New Business Models
- Future business models should be set up so that they reward honest practices, rather than destructive or addictive ones. We should celebrate innovations that make the world a better place.
- External factors need to be measured and calculated into the holistic evaluation of new models. Perfect measurements aren't required, but we need to ensure that our results yield a net positive.
- In order to have the economic resources for long-term changes, we have to look at the forest from a fresh perspective (Prof. Dr. Günter Faltin), for example by monitoring all ecosystem services.
Digitalisation - Data Exchange, Digital Twins
- "Digitalisation breeds transparency. Overall transparency is more important than any individual discussion about tree species and enables many stakeholders to participate in collective problem solving." (Ulrich Grauvogel)
- Data is made available for further use when legality is ensured, no great effort is required, and the added value of releasing the data is made clear to the data providers.
- Digitalisation allows for the automation of obligations such as verification, document requirements, reporting, and compliance.
- It is currently still difficult to demonstrate efficiency gains through the creation of digital twins. The conversion to more on-demand systems, where for example only trees that can yield their full value immediately are logged, seems very promising.
Workshop "Digitalisation Strategies"
On Saturday afternoon, in spite of a delightful alternative programme featuring numerous excursions, nearly 40 people attended the workshop on digitisation strategies that we hosted together with Maximilian Thess (Daten&Wald) and others. Our portion of the workshop featured a lively discussion about the possible frameworks and conditions that could lead to data being re-used.
The re-utilisation of data would improve if:
- the legal situation is clear
- no major additional effort is required
- interfaces and formats are clearly defined, and the transfer of data in various formats and interfaces is possible
- no additional resources are required (e.g. storage)
- the added value is clearly recognisable to the data provider
- the data is useful for joint research and development
- collaboration is based on give and take
We will be happy to incorporate this input into the further development of the technology and governance of the Forest Data Space.
We are already looking forward to the FFF 2025!