{"id":32574,"date":"2026-02-13T16:26:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T06:26:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/?p=32574"},"modified":"2026-02-13T16:28:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T06:28:36","slug":"this-bolt-on-forest-navigator-is-tailor-made-for-plantation-forestry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/this-bolt-on-forest-navigator-is-tailor-made-for-plantation-forestry\/","title":{"rendered":"This Bolt\u2011On Forest Navigator is \u2018Tailor\u2011Made\u2019 for Plantation Forestry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A new fully autonomous navigation system tailor\u2011made<\/em> for plantation forestry is being hailed as a breakthrough for early\u2011stage forest management, with the Sunshine Coast\u2011based Australian Forest and Wood Innovations (AFWI) Centre for Sustainable Futures committing $1.5 million to accelerate its development.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The technology, known as the Autonomous Forest Navigator<\/em>, is being developed under a research project called SilvaNaut: Incorporating Autonomous Operation into Australian Forest Machinery \u2013 Robotic Weed Control Condition<\/em>s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wood Central understands the system bolts onto existing forestry machinery and allows it to steer itself between plantation rows without human input, a capability researchers say could improve safety, efficiency and long\u2011term wood yields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SilvaNaut is being delivered by Daryl Killin through his company, Native Conifers Carbon Sink \u2014 the first organisation to register a tree\u2011planting project for carbon credits under the Carbon Farming Initiative in 2012 \u2014 and Killin said forestry presents challenges that traditional automation systems cannot handle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a real need for an autonomous vehicle that can do weed control in place of humans or human\u2011driven machinery,\u201d he said. \u201cBut unlike driverless cars or broad\u2011acre agriculture, we\u2019re talking about remote locations, uneven ground, harvest residue, and a very high need for precision, because if you spray the wrong chemical in the wrong place, you can kill the tree.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Designed for young plantations aged 0\u20133 years \u2014 when weed pressure is highest and manual labour is most intensive \u2014 the system uses high\u2011resolution GNSS, LiDAR, inertial sensors (IMU) and AI\u2011based obstacle detection to navigate rough terrain. This geospatial backbone will also support future applications such as inventory assessment, fire management and forest monitoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tackling labour shortages, rising costs and safety all-in-one.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

It comes as Australia’s forest value chain faces mounting pressure from labour shortages, rising operational costs and increasing safety risks. Manual weed control is labour\u2011intensive and often carried out in hazardous conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Not many people want to put on a knapsack and work in remote areas with snakes, spiders and rough terrain anymore,\u201d Killin said. \u201cAnd even when people are available, you’re limited by human constraints; you can\u2019t work at night, reliability varies, and safety risks are always present.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By removing operators from high\u2011risk terrain and enabling 24\u2011hour operation, the Autonomous Forest Navigator allows growers to target optimal spraying windows and reduce early\u2011stage tree losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWeeds in the first two years are critical,\u201d Killin said. \u201cIf you lose 200 trees out of 1,000 per hectare early on, you\u2019ve lost future options for wood volume, and you can\u2019t put those trees back later. That loss shows up 25 or 30 years down the track, right when the return on investment really matters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And whilst automation is well established in agriculture, Killin said existing systems are too costly, too fragile and poorly suited to forestry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAgricultural systems are often designed for flat land and annual crops,\u201d he warned. \u201cForestry is a much longer game. We needed a forestry\u2011specific solution that\u2019s cost\u2011effective, robust and fit for purpose, not something adapted from agriculture that doesn\u2019t quite work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SilvaNaut aims to fill this gap with a vehicle\u2011agnostic, bolt\u2011on autonomous system for mid\u2011sized forestry equipment that complies with international technical standards. The system is also being engineered to work alongside drones, enabling smart task allocation between aerial and ground\u2011based weed control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s still an important role for ground\u2011based rigs,\u201d Killin said. \u201cOur system is designed to work with drones, not compete with them, choosing the right tool for the right job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project is being co\u2011designed with seven major forestry companies \u2014 HQPlantations, HVP Plantations, Australian Bluegum Plantations, Australian Carbon Farming, Forestry Corporation NSW, Forest Products Corporation and Midway Limited \u2014 ensuring strong industry relevance and a clear pathway to adoption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Native Conifers Carbon Sink has also engaged James Cook University to train the system to distinguish young plantation trees from weed species and ensure interoperability with drone\u2011spraying technology. Meaanwhile a Trans\u2011Tasman collaboration with Lincoln Agritech and Wrybill Robotics will fast\u2011track existing New Zealand technologies for Australian conditions, supported by the New Zealand forest research sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Field trials will begin in Queensland before expanding across Australia. Performance will be assessed against navigation accuracy, labour savings, safety outcomes, fuel use and overall cost\u2011benefit compared with manual operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Professor Mark Brown, Director of the AFWI Centre for Sustainable Futures and UniSC’s Forest Research Institute, the project aligns with AFWI’s mission to improve Australia\u2019s wood\u2011fibre productivity: \u201cBy improving early\u2011stage plantation management, this project will help narrow the 30\u201340 per cent gap between biological potential and realised wood yield, bringing together industry experience, AI expertise and real\u2011world testing to build something foresters can actually use.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project is also expected to support workforce renewal by creating new roles in forest robotics, remote operations and data\u2011driven management. \u201cThis is about giving forest growers confidence to adopt automation in a way that makes sense for forestry,\u201d Killin said. \u201cIf we get weed control right early, we protect future yield, improve safety, and make better use of the wood fibre we already have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n