SuFoRun · Project

Smart Decision Tools Help Forest Managers Balance Timber Supply and Wildfire Risk

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Imagine you manage a huge forest and need to decide how much timber to harvest, which areas to protect from wildfires, and how to keep the forest healthy for hikers and wildlife — all while the climate keeps changing the rules. This project brought together 14 research teams from Europe and the Americas to build computer tools that help forest managers weigh all those competing demands at once. Think of it like a GPS for forest decisions: you plug in your goals, the software factors in wildfire risk, drought forecasts, and wood demand, then shows you the best path forward. The result is a web-based decision support system prototype that puts science-backed planning into the hands of the people actually managing the trees.

By the numbers

EUR 1,885,500

EU contribution to develop forest decision support tools

partner institutions in the consortium

countries represented (Europe and Americas)

total project deliverables

university partners contributing forestry expertise

The business problem

What needed solving

Forest managers and timber companies face a growing challenge: climate change is making wildfires and droughts more frequent and unpredictable, while demand for both wood products and forest services (recreation, conservation, carbon storage) keeps rising. Current planning tools were not built to handle this level of uncertainty, leaving managers guessing about harvest schedules, fire prevention investments, and how to balance competing demands on the same land.

The solution

What was built

The project built a web-based decision support system (DSS) for adaptive forest management and a knowledge-based DSS prototype that integrates risk models, disturbance scenarios (wildfires, droughts), and multipurpose management objectives. Across 25 deliverables, the team combined European and American forestry expertise into software tools that help managers simulate and compare different strategies.

Audience

Who needs this

Large-scale forest management companies balancing timber harvest with conservationForestry insurance providers needing better wildfire and drought risk modelsNational and regional forestry agencies managing public landsTimber investment management organizations (TIMOs) assessing climate riskEnvironmental consultancies advising on sustainable forest certification

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Forestry & Timber

any

Target: Forest management companies and timber producers

If you are a timber company dealing with unpredictable wildfire seasons and shifting rainfall patterns — this project developed a web-based decision support system that helps you plan harvesting schedules while accounting for wildfire risk and drought scenarios. With 14 partner institutions across 9 countries feeding data into the models, the tool draws on deep expertise in both European and American forest conditions.

Insurance

enterprise

Target: Property and forestry insurance providers

If you are an insurer covering forestland assets and struggling to price wildfire and drought risk accurately — this project built models that quantify how different disturbances affect forest productivity and service supply. The knowledge-based DSS prototype integrates risk and uncertainty data that could sharpen your actuarial models for forest-related policies.

Public Land Management

enterprise

Target: National park agencies and regional forestry authorities

If you are a public forestry authority balancing recreation, conservation, and wood production across large territories — this project created a decision support application delivered via the web that helps you simulate different management strategies under climate change scenarios. The tool was designed specifically for multipurpose forest management where you cannot optimize for just one outcome.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to use this decision support system?

The project was funded with EUR 1,885,500 under MSCA-RISE, which is a research exchange program. The DSS prototype was developed in an academic setting with no commercial pricing. Any licensing or deployment costs would need to be negotiated directly with the coordinator (CTFC in Spain).

Can this scale to manage large commercial forest operations?

The project delivered an initial DSS application via the web and a knowledge-based DSS prototype, suggesting it can handle real forest datasets. However, with 12 university partners and 2 research organizations — and zero industrial partners — the system has not been stress-tested in large-scale commercial operations. Scaling would likely require further engineering.

Who owns the intellectual property?

IP is held by the consortium led by CONSORCI CENTRE DE CIENCIA I TECNOLOGIA FORESTAL DE CATALUNYA (CTFC) in Spain. As an MSCA-RISE project, IP terms follow EU grant agreement rules. Licensing terms would need to be discussed with the coordinator.

Does this work for forests outside Europe?

Yes — the consortium spans 9 countries including Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, and the United States, alongside European partners in Spain, Portugal, Germany, Finland, and Sweden. The models were designed to address forest management challenges across both European and American conditions.

What specific tools were actually delivered?

Based on deliverable descriptions, the project produced an initial DSS application for adaptive forest management delivered via web, and a knowledge-based DSS prototype integrating methods and models. There were 25 deliverables in total across the project.

How does this handle wildfire risk specifically?

The project objective explicitly names wildfires and droughts as key disturbances the tools address. The models integrate risk and uncertainty into multipurpose forest management decisions, helping managers balance wood supply against disturbance scenarios. Specific wildfire modeling details would need to be confirmed with the research team.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a purely academic consortium: 12 universities and 2 research organizations across 9 countries, with zero industrial partners and zero SMEs. The geographic spread is impressive — covering Spain, Portugal, Germany, Finland, Sweden, plus Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, and the US — giving the research broad applicability across different forest types and climates. However, the complete absence of industry involvement means the tools were built without direct input from commercial forest operators, insurers, or technology companies. For a business looking to adopt this technology, expect a gap between the research prototype and a production-ready product. The coordinator CTFC (Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia) is a respected research body but not a commercial software vendor.

CONSORCI CENTRE DE CIENCIA I TECNOLOGIA FORESTAL DE CATALUNYACoordinator · ES
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTONpartner · US
UNIVERSIDADE DE EVORAparticipant · PT
ALBERT-LUDWIGS-UNIVERSITAET FREIBURGparticipant · DE
INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE AGRONOMIAparticipant · PT
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITYpartner · US
SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITETparticipant · SE
PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA DE CHILEpartner · CL
UNIVERSIDAD DE CHILEpartner · CL
ITA-SUOMEN YLIOPISTOparticipant · FI
US Forest Servicepartner · US
UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRIDparticipant · ES
UNIVERSIDADE DE SAO PAULOpartner · BR

How to reach the team

Contact CTFC (Centre de Ciencia i Tecnologia Forestal de Catalunya) in Spain — the project coordinator and lead DSS developer.

Order a report on this consortium See CONSORCI CENTRE DE CIENCIA I TECNOLOGIA FORESTAL DE CATALUNYA profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how this forest decision support technology could work for your operations? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the research team and help assess fit for your specific use case.

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