Imagine you own a forest and need to know exactly what trees you have, how much wood is there, and what it's worth. Traditionally, you'd hire a team to walk through the forest for weeks measuring trees one by one — expensive and slow. ForestMap uses airborne laser scanning data (LiDAR) that's already been collected by governments and turns it into a complete forest inventory report in minutes, all through a website. It's like Google Maps but instead of showing you roads, it tells you everything about your forest without anyone setting foot in it.
Traditional forest inventories require field crews to physically walk through forests measuring trees — a process that takes weeks and costs thousands of euros per assessment. This makes regular inventory updates unaffordable for most private forest owners and slow for timber companies that need quick volume estimates before purchasing rights. The result is poor forest management data, delayed wood mobilization, and regulatory non-compliance across Europe.
A fully functional web platform (forestmap.eu) that automatically generates forest inventories from pre-processed LiDAR data without any field work. The system includes a responsive web application for desktop and mobile, plus an operational database containing LiDAR data, forest stand types, and geographic information for Spain, Italy, and Portugal.
If you are a timber company needing accurate wood volume data before purchasing standing timber — this project developed a web platform that generates full forest inventory reports in minutes instead of weeks, cutting inventory costs by up to 85%. No field crews needed. You upload your forest area coordinates and get back species composition, volume, and biomass data with reliability under 15% bias.
If you are a forestry consultant spending weeks on field inventories for each client — this project built an automated platform that delivers the same data in minutes using pre-processed LiDAR. You can serve more clients faster, reduce your operational costs by up to 85%, and focus your expertise on management strategy rather than data collection.
If you represent private landowners who need affordable forest inventories to comply with local regulations — this project created a user-friendly web tool that produces reliable reports without expensive field work. The cost reduction of up to 85% compared to traditional methods makes compliance economically viable even for small forest holdings.
According to project data, ForestMap can decrease costs by up to 85% compared to traditional field-based inventories. The platform eliminates the need for field crews entirely, delivering reports in minutes instead of weeks. Specific pricing per hectare is not disclosed in the project data.
The platform was validated in Spain and the project expanded LiDAR coverage to Italy and Portugal, collecting its own LiDAR data where government sources were unavailable. The system includes a database with LiDAR characteristics and forest information by country, designed to scale across multiple European markets.
ForestMap is developed and owned by AGRESTA S COOP, a Spanish forestry SME. Based on available project data, the platform operates as a commercial SaaS product. Licensing or partnership terms would need to be discussed directly with AGRESTA.
The project reports reliability with a bias under 15%, which is considered sufficient for management-grade forest inventories. The algorithm was optimized for different tree species during the project. Traditional field inventories are the benchmark, and ForestMap aims to match their utility without the fieldwork.
ForestMap delivers full forest inventory reports in minutes. The user submits forest area coordinates through the web platform, the system runs its processing algorithm on pre-loaded LiDAR data, and returns a complete inventory report. No field work scheduling or waiting for crews is required.
Yes. The project deliverables specifically mention redesigning the frontend as a responsive and intuitive application for Android and iOS devices. The platform communicates bidirectionally with the client through a three-step process to obtain a forest inventory.
The platform helps private landowners comply with local forest management regulations that require periodic inventories. Based on available project data, ForestMap targets countries where such compliance mandates exist, making regulatory adherence affordable through the 85% cost reduction.
This is a single-company SME Instrument project run entirely by AGRESTA S COOP, a Spanish forestry cooperative classified as an SME. With 100% industry participation and zero academic partners, the project is purely commercially driven — there is no research padding here. AGRESTA is both the developer and the intended commercial operator, meaning the technology was built to sell, not to publish papers. The single-partner structure means all IP stays in one place, simplifying any licensing or partnership discussions. The risk for potential business partners is that dependency sits with one Spanish SME, but the upside is a clear point of contact with direct decision-making authority.
AGRESTA S COOP is a Spanish forestry cooperative based in Madrid — reachable through their company website or forestmap.eu
Want to explore how ForestMap could reduce your forest inventory costs? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction to the team behind the platform.
