A Partnership Built to Last: A decade of Arbonaut and Forestry France Collaboration
For over a decade, Arbonaut and Forestry France have worked together to explore new opportunities and combine technological innovation with practical forestry. What was sparked by a common interest in forests has developed into a long-standing relationship focused on helping forest owners navigate changing risks, expectations, and opportunities.
Where It All Began
In forestry, enduring partnerships grow from trust, complementary expertise, and a shared understanding of where the sector is heading.
The relationship between Arbonaut and Forestry France traces back to 2016 when representatives of the two companies met through business developers.
One memory from our years of nice collaboration particularly stands out for Arbonaut’s founder Tuomo Kauranne. A gathering in Paris brought together Tuomo Kauranne, Sylvestre Coudert, and Geoffroy De Cannière. Some travelled from Finland, others from Brussels and Clermont-Ferrand, crossing hundreds of kilometers to meet.
"The location may have been Paris, but the conversation was ultimately about forests. That moment captured something fundamental: we are people who want to be physically close to nature. We feel it in our souls and minds. We understand the needs of modern technology, business, and their financial linkages, but our souls rest in the forest." — Tuomo Kauranne, the founder of Arbonaut
Tradition and Innovation in Forestry
Forestry France brings deep knowledge of private forest ownership, valuation, investment, and management. As a family-owned company with more than a century of history, it combines deep forestry tradition with a willingness to embrace change.
Arbonaut, founded more than 30 years ago, complements this with its background in forest inventory, remote sensing, geospatial intelligence, and digital forestry.
"It feels quite amazing that there can be a company that is technologically knowledgeable, active in business, and has been around for so many generations. I immediately saw that we were a strong strategic match." — Tuomo Kauranne, the founder of Arbonaut
The companies’ differences have created a natural fit. Both companies believe that technological progress in forestry must remain connected to the people responsible for forests and to the realities they face.
"I remember the first time we visited Arbonaut in Joensuu back in 2016. I was immediately struck by the unique combination of technology, deep expertise in LiDAR and strong forestry experience. For us, it was clear from the beginning that we shared similar values, a strong technical and operational experience, and above all, a common ambition to continue developing innovative and practical solutions for the environment." — Geoffroy De Cannière, Head of Development at Forestry France
Responding to the Risks Facing European Forests
Climate change has heightened the importance of resilience and risk management across Europe's forests. Bark beetle outbreaks, wildfires, biodiversity requirements, and increasing pressure to balance economic and environmental objectives all place new demands on forest owners and managers.
The risks facing forests do not stop at national borders. Through SaniLiDAR and IT4EST initiatives, Arbonaut and Forestry France have contributed their strengths into practical outcomes:
- Assessed forest health risks more systematically with remote sensing and other relevant data sources
- Helped forest owners identify potential risks and plan preventive actions
- Developed and tested forest inventory, wildfire management, and sanitary risk analyses in real forest environments across Europe
- Adapted experience from earlier work in Sweden and Finland to the needs of French private forest owners
- Used feedback and demonstrations to move solutions towards practical adoption
Looking Ahead
The partnership has endured through changing markets, ever-evolving landscape of remote sensing technologies, and global forestry priorities. Forestry will continue to change.
For Arbonaut and Forestry France, the joint focus remains the same: to continuously look for ways to translate innovation into tangible value for forest owners by:
- Helping forest owners identify and respond to health and wildfire risks
- Demonstrating solutions under different forest conditions
- Bringing proven approaches to new customers and countries
With over 10 years on, the partnership will carry on helping forest owners make better decisions in a changing world.
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