Preface

Abstract

New digital technologies are very diverse and widely used in almost all areas of human activity. It is generally accepted that they constitute the content of the digital revolution that is taking place all over the world now. The forestry sector is no exception.Digital technologies are a rapidly developing scientific and technical field; they are used in all areas of human activity, from space research to trade and consumer services. As a result of a rapid growth in this area, generally accepted scientific terminology, unified concepts and definitions have not yet been formed, which complicates the understanding between specialists. Therefore, conferences of the kind held at St. Petersburg State Forest Technical University are especially important for solving the problems of intersectoral dialog.Topics presented at the scientific and technical conference “Digital Technologies in the Forest Sector”, held at St. Petersburg State Forest Technical University on March 26, 2020 reflect a wide range of research results. They include applications of geoinformation technologies and remote sensing methods in forest inventory and forestry; digital technologies in the design and manufacture of wood products, and in landscape architecture, design, and construction; digital forest pedagogy; robotic systems and intelligent machines in the forest sector; databases and statistical information systems in forest typology; information and communication, and web technologies and their capabilities and prospects for application in the forest sector.It is impossible to cover all areas of the use of digital technologies in the forest sector in one conference. Many interesting areas of research were not reflected in the presentations or were not presented in detail. Nevertheless, the relevance and novelty of the results presented is not in doubt.The articles presenting the most interesting research results were included in a special issue of the journal IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science. The articles included in the issue cover a wide range of scientific issues related to: information and communication technologies for forest management; the use of satellite communications in areas with poorly developed infrastructure; the use of information and communication and web technologies to predict the spread of forest fires; the use of digital technology to model the movement of mudflows and for the development of geographic information technologies and remote sensing methods in forestry; for the design of forestry machines and mechanisms, and forest roads; and for training students and distance education of industrial personnel. The research results published will be of interest to scientists, teachers and specialists of the forest sector, as well as to students studying forest sector related disciplines.Vice-Rector for Research, St. Petersburg State Forest Technical University, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor V.M. Gedio