The project applies digitalization, artificial intelligence, sensors and data analysis to forest management, with the participation of several Technology Centers of Castilla y León associated to NODDO and a wide ecosystem of public, technological, business and sectorial entities.
Technological innovation is a key tool to respond to some of the great environmental and territorial challenges of Castilla y León. In this framework RETECHFOR, the REd TECnológica y territorial para el monitoreo forestal y la reducción de desastres ambientales como palancas para el desarrollo de la Bioeconomía FORestal, an initiative promoted by the Autonomous Communities of Castilla y León and the Canary Islands, is being developed.
The project aims to contribute to the reduction of damage caused by forest fires and other environmental disasters through the application of innovative technologies. To this end, RETECHFOR is committed to the advanced digitalization of the forestry sector, the integration of aerial and satellite platforms with high-precision sensors and the intensive use of data analysis -Data Analytics- to improve forest territory management.
From NODDO, the association of Technological Centers of Castilla y León, RETECHFOR represents a relevant example of technological cooperation applied to the territory. The participation of several Technological Centers of Castilla y León – Air InstituteAir Institute, CARTIF, Cesefor, CTME, ITAGRA e ITCL– demonstrates the capacity of the regional ecosystem to provide specialized knowledge, technological talent and solutions oriented to real challenges in the forestry sector.
Technology to transform forest management
RETECHFOR was born in a context marked by climate change, pressure on natural ecosystems and the need to modernize the forest management model. The initiative proposes a structural transformation of the sector, based on the incorporation of enabling technologies that provide better knowledge of the state of the forests, anticipate risks, improve planning and strengthen the capacity to respond to forest fires and other environmental disasters.
Its objectives include introducing technologies such as data analysis and artificial intelligence in forest management, taking advantage of existing infrastructures, promoting aerospace and Earth observation technologies, improving the digitalization of forestry processes -such as inventories, forestry, traceability and fire prevention- and fostering innovation and technological entrepreneurship ecosystems in rural areas.
This orientation makes RETECHFOR a strategic project to move towards more connected, predictive and sustainable forest management. Information captured through sensors, aerial or satellite platforms and digital tools can contribute to improve decision making and strengthen ecosystem resilience.
A project connected to the forest bioeconomy
RETECHFOR is not limited to forest monitoring. Its scope is directly linked to the development of the forest bioeconomy, an area of special relevance for Castilla y León due to its relationship with the sustainable use of natural resources, economic activity in rural areas and the improvement of the competitiveness of the forestry sector.
The forest bioeconomy makes it possible to generate value from forest resources through responsible, sustainable and knowledge-based management. In this sense, digitization can facilitate improvements in traceability, efficiency, planning, prevention, restoration and decision making, reinforcing the connection between technological innovation, environmental sustainability and territorial development.
The project is also aligned with the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and with the strategic priorities linked to the digital transition, the ecological transition, sustainable development and the modernization of the productive fabric.
The value of cooperation between Technology Centers
One of the differential elements of RETECHFOR is its collaborative nature. The project brings together public administrations, universities, technology centers, companies, sectorial entities and organizations linked to the forestry and innovation ecosystem.
In Castilla y León, the participation of Air Institute, CARTIF, Cesefor, CTME, ITAGRA e ITCL reflects the value of cooperation between Technology Centers. Each entity contributes specialized knowledge from its field of work, and their joint participation allows to address a complex challenge from a multidisciplinary viewpoint.
This approach is fully in line with NODDO’s raison d’être: to promote cooperation between the Technology Centers of Castilla y León in order to add capabilities, accelerate knowledge transfer and generate solutions that contribute to the competitiveness of companies and the development of the region.
RETECHFOR shows how innovation gains impact when it is built collaboratively. Forest management requires technical knowledge, technological capacity, territorial analysis, digitalization, validation in real environments and connection with the needs of administrations, companies and rural communities. The participation of several of the association’s Technology Centers reinforces this comprehensive vision.
Partners who make RETECHFOR possible
The RETECHFOR consortium is formed by the Autonomous Communities of Castilla y León and the Canary Islands, together with a network of public and private entities. This diversity allows the project to be approached from a broad, integrating and innovation, sustainability and territorial cohesion oriented vision.
As strategic partners, the project has the Junta de Castilla y León as coordinator, and the Government of the Canary Islands, through the Agencia Canaria de Investigación, Innovación y Sociedad de la Información -ACIISI- (Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation and the Information Society).
Technological development partners include the Parque Tecnológico de Fuerteventura SA, MP; the University of León; the University of Valladolid; Fundación Instituto Internacional de Investigación en Inteligencia Artificial y Computación -Air Institute-; Fundación CARTIF; Fundación Centro de Servicios y Promoción Forestal y de su Industria de Castilla y León -Cesefor-; Fundación Centro Tecnológico Miranda de Ebro -CTME-; Centro Tecnológico Agrario y Agroalimentario -ITAGRA-; Instituto Tecnológico de Castilla y León -ITCL-; LUCE; VEXIZA; AGRESTA; CARBON X; FORA and GESFORMA.
The project also incorporates validation partners and collaborating entities, including the Confederation of Wood Companies of Castilla y León -CEMCAL-, the Intersectoral Wood Board of Castilla y León, DIGIS3, DIHBU, IOT DIH and IOT LEAF.
In the field of dissemination and sectorial connection, RETECHFOR also counts with entities such as the Intersectorial Table of Wood of Castilla y León, the Federation of Forestry Associations of Castilla y León -FAFCYLE-, CEMCAL, the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations -CEOE-, Chambers of Commerce, the Spanish Federation of Wood Industries -FEIM-, Forescyl, the Federation of Wood and Cork Entrepreneurs, the Association of Technical Research of Wood Industries, Development and Rural Promotion -PRINCAL-and the Spanish Forestry Technology Platform.
Pilot projects in Castilla y León
RETECHFOR contemplates the development of pilot projects for automated forest monitoring in the Canary Islands and Castilla y León. In the Community, the selected areas are El Amogable, in Soria; El Maíllo, in Salamanca; and Valcabadillo, in Palencia.
These pilots allow to advance in the use of on-board sensors in aeronautical or aerospace platforms for data capture and subsequent processing with Data Analytics tools. In Castilla y León, these actions are oriented to issues such as the continuous inventory of forest mass, precision forestry, fire prevention, assessment of the state of reforestation areas after fires, early warning of environmental risks and automated monitoring of forest masses.
Validation in real environments is key to the effective transfer of technological innovation to the territory. RETECHFOR combines technological development, institutional cooperation and practical application in specific forest areas.
Castilla y León, a forest innovation territory
Castilla y León has a forestry, rural and technological dimension that makes this project an opportunity to move towards a more sustainable, digital and competitive management of the territory. RETECHFOR contributes to connect knowledge, technology and needs of the forestry sector, reinforcing the role of innovation as a tool to protect ecosystems, prevent risks and generate new opportunities.
For NODDO, the project demonstrates the value of the Technology Centers of Castilla y León as agents of technology transfer, cooperation and development. Its participation in RETECHFOR allows to make visible how the talent of the territory can contribute to strategic challenges linked to the environment, bioeconomy, digitalization and rural development.
RETECHFOR is, in short, an example of collaborative innovation with territorial impact. An initiative in which administrations, universities, companies, sectorial entities and technology centers work in coordination to move towards a more resilient, sustainable and digital forestry model.
