Virtual reality tool to train foresters

Virtual reality tool to train foresters

Friday 31 May 2024

A future where foresters are trained to thin trees in a virtual-reality (VR) environment before real-world training could be just around the corner. Scion’s Virtual Thinning project aims to create an interactive and 3-dimensional VR training tool to supplement more advanced on-site training.

The VR tool has more than 70 adjustable variables, such as stocking rate, tree age and light dominance. Scion wants to identify about half a dozen most useful to foresters, before finalising a training prototype by June.

Once complete, the tool will provide:

Trainees with initial understanding of thinning complexities.
Trainee understanding of the economic value in forests.
Initial training in a range of scenarios without the cost of travel to site.
A safer, efficient training environment where mistakes aren’t reflected in the real world.

Contact: Grant Evans Portfolio Leader, New Value Digital Forests and Wood Sector

Source and image credit: Scion

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