Protecting Our Forests with Smart IoT Solutions

Forests are a critical part of our planet, and their preservation is paramount. Besides their role in maintaining our ecosystem, forests are vital habitats for 80 percent of all land-based animals. 

They form a part of our living spaces, infrastructure, and economies, providing home to around 300 million people, and supporting the livelihoods of approximately 1.6 billion individuals.

However, forests face increasing threats from both natural and human activities. Forest fires and illegal logging are two of the most significant dangers, capable of causing widespread environmental damage, economic loss, and disruption to local communities.

According to the EU's Advance Report on Forest Fires in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa 2023, an area equivalent to over twice the size of Luxembourg (504,002 hectares) was lost to fires in the EU. 

Illegal logging is another significant issue for our forests. Interpol estimates the trade of illegally logged timber to be between US$51 and US$152 billion annually. It poses a slower but persistent and often well-funded threat, slowly chipping away at the forest’s resources and undermining conservation efforts.

The Challenge of Protecting Forests

Forests are, by nature, exceptionally vast, making managing and protecting them difficult. For example, forest fires, whether triggered by human activities or natural factors, can erupt unexpectedly, spread rapidly, and cause extensive damage.

A forest fire caused by illegal logging in the Amazon rainforest. (Imago Photo/stock.adobe.com)

Managing these threats requires both immediate response capabilities and continuous monitoring to prevent long-term damage. 

Traditional methods of fire detection and forest surveillance, including lookout towers and patrols, often fall short, particularly in expansive or difficult-to-navigate regions.

With increasing unpredictable weather patterns leading to more forest fires and the relentless expansion of illegal logging, there is a pressing need for a more sophisticated and immediate approach to forest management through technology.

IoT’s Advantages for Early Detection and Risk Assessment

Sensing technology has traditionally been challenging to deploy in forests. A lack of fixed power supply and weak or non-existent communication networks often meant that forest monitoring equipment was standalone. 

As a result, devices needed maintenance, disposable batteries had to be replaced, and data had to be manually retrieved, all of which increased costs and reduced effectiveness.

However, advancements in energy harvesting, battery management, microcontrollers, and communication technologies, combined with AI analytics, have paved the way for the development of interconnected IoT devices powered by renewable energy sources.

Compared to traditional nodes, IoT sensing nodes can allow for continuous real-time monitoring with localized processing, enabling data to be analyzed before sending valuable insight to centralized control networks. 

IoT nodes powered from renewable sources and backed with rechargeable batteries can now operate reliably for years, overcoming traditional limitations and reducing labor and deployment costs.

Beyond early detection, continuous monitoring also helps to generate large data sets that can shape forest management practices and prevention strategies. 

This includes measures like targeted surveillance, controlled burns, or increased patrols in high-risk areas. In some deployments, image sensors can assist reforestation and conservation efforts by monitoring the health of newly planted areas and ensuring they are protected from fires, illegal activities, and herbivores.

Preventing Forest Fires and Illegal Logging

IoT technology is proving to be a powerful tool in protecting our natural world and numerous projects are emerging that could have a significant impact against forest fires and illegal logging. Here are several examples.

ForestGuard Project

One such example comes from Nordic Semiconductor’s 2023 Connect for Good: Low Power Sustainability Challenge, sponsored by Mouser Electronics. ForestGuard™, entered by its co-founder Muhammed Ali Ornek, is a startup that provides a comprehensive sensing and alert service for early forest fire detection and risk assessment.

The company has developed its own IoT devices, which create a mesh network across forested areas, even in remote locations without existing infrastructure. 

Each device collects real-time data on atmospheric conditions, including relative humidity, temperature, and atmospheric pressure. They also detect smoke and classify explosive, flammable, and poisonous gases. 

The captured data can generate fire risk heat maps and detect fires within 30 minutes of smoldering.

A civilian fighting a forest fire in Bodrum, Turkey, one of the regions ForestGuard has explored to develop its technology. (Stockwars/stock.adobe.com)

ForestGuard integrates low-powered hardware and LoRaWAN mesh communication, which, combined with the onboard AI algorithm, allows for a battery life of up to five years. 

Alternatively, it can harness solar energy to provide continuous service, reducing maintenance tasks and improving operational efficiency.

The technology has already been implemented in six regions within Turkey and is intended to support industries such as energy distribution companies, forestry facilities, resort hotels, national parks, and wildlife conservation organizations.

Vodafone Romania Smart Forest Project

Another example of IoT deployment for forest protection is Vodafone Romania's Smart Forest project in Romania. This initiative focuses on safeguarding forests from illegal logging, a major issue in the region.

The project's ‘guardian’ devices are equipped with advanced audio sensors that record localized sounds and transmit the data to a cloud platform.

Within the centralized cloud platform, advanced AI is used to identify noise associated with illegal logging activities. 

Finally, the centralized system sends real-time alerts with geolocation information to an app installed on the local forest administrators’ or rangers’ phones, helping to enable immediate intervention.

The project combines IoT technology and advanced data analytics to rapidly detect and address illegal logging activities. Each sensor is specifically designed to prevent deforestation of an area exceeding 3km², making it an affordable and effective solution.

Need for Advanced Detection

As the combined threats of forest fires and illegal logging continue to grow, the need for advanced detection and prevention technologies becomes increasingly urgent to protect our natural world. 

IoT proves to be a powerful tool to overcome these challenges, providing the real-time data and early warnings necessary to protect these delicate ecosystems from devastating impacts. 

By leveraging cutting-edge perception, communication, and analytical technologies, IoT can enhance our ability to monitor and respond to both natural and human threats, ultimately helping to preserve our forests for future generations.