Accurate measurement and storage of woody biomass as it flows from the forest into industry is a global challenge faced by the forestry sector, especially where biomass is received in large volumes and stored in piles exposed to elements.
The result? Poor fibre accounting due to ineffective measurement practices and fibre loss due to the regional specific decay of wood during storage.
FPInnovations, working collaboratively with its Canadian pulp and paper members, is currently exploring a creative solution combining modern measurement techniques with real-time modelling to track the flow and storage of wood chips at mill sites. The goal is for FPInnovations’ members to have better control over their inventory, to provide valuable insight to improve their management systems, and to positively impact downstream pulping operations. The first step? Using drone measuring techniques to gather data necessary for the volumetric inventory, a key component of the prediction algorithm.
Interested in learning more about this work? Contact Lead Scientist, Wesley Gilbert (
