Speaker Day 1: The Main Challenges of Developing Autonomous Equipment in Forestry
The Institute interviews John Pineau as he prepares to address the Institute’s forthcoming National Conference: Innovation for Change.
What innovation means to FPInnovations/what innovative development(s) it is working on?
Innovation is pervasive to our corporate culture at FPInnovations. We are always striving to find new and better ways to work in the forest, and new and better uses for wood. Our Forestry 4.0 initiative will help to thoroughly modernize forestry in terms of policy, planning and practice, and will help to address critical issues and challenges in forest operations occurring within many jurisdictions.
How you personally see industry/the world changing in the next 30+ years?
We will see a great deal more automation through information technology and robotics in the coming 30 years. Although the forest sector has been somewhat slow on the uptake with these opportunities, it will come to realize some significant advances in this respect over the next few decades.
How important is it, in your opinion/from FPInnovations’ perspective, that people attend this conference/similar conferences that look at what’s coming next ?
Face to face gatherings like this conference are essential to knowledge exchange, building relationships, and creating opportunities to advance, innovate and to apply new science and research in a practical sense. Events like this catalyse change and improvement, and greatly complement the many types of modern communications media that we use to interact as forest professionals.
What piece of advice would you give to a yourself if you could turn the clock back 20+ years?
If I could turn back the clock 20 years, I would remind myself that it’s about being outside and in the forest as much as possible, kicking dirt with like-minded folks – talking and doing what is best for the forest and for our society.
