Forestry is rapidly adopting robotics and sensing technologies to meet the challengesof labor shortages, sustainability demands, and complex natural environments. Thistalk presents recent advances from the Advanced Forestry Systems Lab at OregonState University, covering projects that span autonomous platforms, sensor integration,and AI-enabled decision tools. Highlights include low-cost LiDAR systems,multifunctional forestry vehicles, and UAV/UGV modules for reforestation such asseedball and seedling shooters. I will also discuss precision tools like the SlashScaniOS app for slash-pile volume estimation, LiDAR-based forest inventory systems, andAI-driven plant disease detection. Emerging technologies such as smartphone-basedfire-risk assessment tools, GPR-mounted UAV/UGVs for subsurface analysis, androbotic platforms for firefighting and machine navigation will also be explored. Thepresentation will focus on both opportunities and challenges in translating thesetechnologies from experimental prototypes into operational forestry solutions.
Heesung Woo is an Assistant Professor of Advanced ForestrySystems in the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources &Management at Oregon State University. His lab developsrobotics, computer vision, and remote-sensing solutions forprecision forestry—spanning autonomous machinery,LiDAR/UAV mapping, and AI-driven monitoring of roads andforest health. He has led interdisciplinary projects with agenciesand industry partners in the U.S. and abroad, and has authorednumerous peer-reviewed publications on machine vision andsensing for forest operations. His current work focuses onintegrating robotic platforms and sensor systems for resilient,data-driven forest management.