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5 of 63

Lorne Carson - Carson Integrated
Lorne Carson, President of Carson Integrated, joins us on The Digital Forester podcast to share his journey from the East Coast to building a diverse group of companies rooted in Western Canada. Lorne walks us through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship in forestry, energy, and environmental services. We talk about the state of forestry in Western Canada, challenges with wildfire and regulation, and where real innovation is happening today — including AI, exoskeletons for field crews, and even augmented reality.Tune in to hear how Lorne's boots-on-the-ground approach, willingness to pivot, and passion for people have shaped a resilient, tech-savvy forestry business built to last.Topics Covered:Lorne’s path into forestry and move from the East Coast to AlbertaStarting Carson Integrated and evolving beyond traditional consultingBuilding and winding down multiple businesses: safety, GIS, rentalsState of forestry in Western Canada vs. British ColumbiaEntrepreneurial lessons in timing, failure, and resilienceThe impact of wildfires and adapting operations in real timeTechnology trends: data overload, machine learning, and AIUsing exoskeletons in forestry fieldworkVision for AR/VR and immersive digital forestry toolsChallenges of innovation adoption in woodlands operationsThe future of Carson Integrated and Western Canadian forestry
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56:24
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56:24
Howard Butler - Hobu Inc.
In this episode of The Digital Forester, Howard Butler, President of Hobu Inc., shares his journey from agricultural roots to leading innovation in open-source geospatial software. We explore the evolution of tools like GDAL, PDAL, and Entwine, and how they're transforming forestry, especially in handling and visualizing massive point cloud datasets.Howard explains how technologies like SilviMetric are modernizing forestry analytics and data management. He also shares thoughts on the future of lidar, cloud-optimized formats, AI, and what’s next for scalable, open geospatial systems. A must-listen for digital foresters and GIS professionals.Topics Covered:Howard’s path from agriculture to GIS and open-source softwareFounding of Hobu Inc. and the philosophy behind open sourceKey projects: GDAL, PROJ, PDAL, Entwine, and Cloud Optimized Point CloudsHow PDAL emerged with support from the U.S. Army Corps of EngineersForestry applications: point cloud processing, classification, and raster generationSilviMetric: developed with the U.S. Forest Service for forestry metric analysisThe role of cloud-native formats and scalable data accessAdoption across governments, research, and industryAI, Gaussian splatting, and the future of 3D geospatial analysisAdvice for getting started with geospatial tools
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1:00:08
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1:00:08
Dr. Nicholas Coops - UBC
Dr. Nicholas Coops, Canada Research Chair in Remote Sensing at UBC, joins The Digital Forester podcast to talk about his journey through forestry, research, and innovation. We explore how remote sensing has evolved, its impact on forest management, and what’s next for the field. From global monitoring to cutting-edge projects, Nicholas shares insights from decades at the forefront of forest science.Topics Covered:- Dr. Coops’ career path and early influences in remote sensing- The role of remote sensing in modern forestry- Building the Integrated Remote Sensing Studio at UBC- Shifts in satellite data, LiDAR, and forest inventory methods- Translating academic research into operational tools- Upcoming SilviLaser 2025 conference in Quebec City, Canada- Challenges and opportunities in global forest monitoring- Mentorship, leadership, and collaboration in science- Dr. Coops’ perspective on what’s next for digital forestry
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58:16
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58:16
Andrea Feunekes - Remsoft
Andrea Feunekes, co-founder and former CEO of Remsoft, helps us kick off Season 5 of The Digital Forester. Andrea reflects on 30+ years of leading Remsoft, building a global business from the ground up with her husband Ugo, and shares lessons learned along the way. We dive into the evolution of forestry tech, the importance of change management, data readiness, and Remsoft’s exciting future with the recent acquisition of Lim Geomatics and platform growth. Tune in to hear why Andrea believes we’re on the edge of a connected, intelligent forestry future.Topics CoveredThe founding story of Remsoft and early challengesKey technological shifts in forestry: GIS, optimization, AIDefining true optimization and digital forest twinsThe role of data quality and organizational readinessChange management and adapting processes for techThe creation of Remsoft Operations and its AI co-pilotThe acquisition of Lim Geomatics and vision for a connected supply chainChoosing the right private equity partner with Banneker PartnersAdvice for entrepreneurs and working with familyAndrea’s future view: automation, decision-making, and digital tools in forestry
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47:37
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47:37
Henry Ines - Chainparency
Henry Ines is Co-Founder and CEO of Chainparency and joins us from Houston, Texas, USA. Chainparency is a supply chain software and data solutions company that develops turnkey and modular blockchain-based applications and digital tools that help its customers to ensure transparency, traceability and auditability in global supply chains. For the last Digital Forester podcast of 2024, come have a listen on how Chainparency’s flagship product GoTrace, the first-of-a-kind 100% turnkey SaaS blockchain-based platform that enables any enterprise or organization regardless of size to engage in end-to-end data collection and digital track & trace at scale, is being used in forestry today.
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1:00:45
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1:00:45