A forestry training program incorporating virtual reality simulations may soon be available, according to Scion, a Crown Research Institute.

Scion has developed an interactive 3D virtual reality training tool to enhance on-site forestry worker training. The prototype has attracted industry interest in customising it to represent specific forests.

“VR has been around a long time in entertainment. Now people have started to see the real applications,” Scion’s portfolio leader, Grant Evans, said.

Trainees wearing the virtual reality headset enter a realistic model of a production forest in New Zealand, which features trees based on radiata pine models.

Scion developed the tool for the Virtual Thinning project, funded by Forest Growers Research’s Precision Silviculture Programme.

It is an integration of science, technology, and gamification, Scion’s portfolio leader, Evans said.

“We’re using fundamental science – what we know about the physiology of the trees – with VR technology and gamification, making it more engaging.”

 Scion is also working with industry to ensure the tool can reflect their forests, Scion forest management scientist Lania Holt said.

“Companies are looking for realistic scenarios. Ultimately, they want to take the prototype and combine assets with industry in a way that depicts the forest based on their data.” 

The Precision Silviculture Programme has led to a prototype that’s allowed synthetic data to be created and used, Holt said.

The tool supports the programme’s goals of digitising and automating forestry tasks to improve efficiency and safety, according to Claire Stewart, manager of the Forest Growth Research Precision Silviculture Programme.

The technology paves the way for the future and sets the foundation for how these technologies must work, she said. 

“There are many other tasks in the forest beyond thinning that would benefit from this training – pruning, establishment tasks, surveillance and monitoring, harvesting and processing.”

Scion is working to customise the tool for the forestry company Rayonier-Matariki Forests, which is responsible for more than 110,000 hectares of forest nationwide. 
 
“I’m hugely impressed,” Rayonier-Matariki Forests quality manager Fraser Field said. “I immediately fell into training mode when I tested the tool.” 
 
Last year, Rayonier built its own VR process for entry-level workers, but Field said this is a huge step forward. 

“We will be able to build a virtual forest with sizes, features, and characteristics specific to our conditions. We will modify and improve our training practices now to incorporate Scion’s VR, including training for NZQA unit standards,” he said.