Full Project Title: Improving mechanical thinning and biomass transportation efficiency using satellite communication

Project Identification Number: WCS13

Low-earth orbit satellites have dramatically increased rural connectivity but have not been meaningfully leveraged in mechanical thinning and timber harvest operations - even though most forest management operations take place in regions that have no cellular service. 

This project aims to improve thinning, harvesting, and wood transportation efficiency in the Sierra Nevada and has three primary components: 

• Demonstrating the feasibility for low-earth orbit satellite to provide high-speed internet at log landings 
• Demonstrating the feasibility to communicate truck and machine locations to the loader operator in near real-time 
• Developing models to use machine and truck locations and comparing models to real-world results

Logging and trucking data will provide inputs for harvesting and transportation simulations needed for other supply chain modeling projects.

Outcomes from the project include improving the production of a logging operation 15% by 2026 through improved coordination between the crew supervisor, machine operators, and truck drivers; and utilizing real-time machine tracking to ensure that mechanical thinning and timber harvest projects adhere to prescription boundaries and avoid sensitive areas.

This project was funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Provision 40803. This research supports the agency's Wildfire Crisis Strategy.