June 12, 2024

Photo credit: EIT InnoEnergy

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

Swedish startup Nordluft is securing new capital from Södra Ädla, Sweden’s largest forest-owners association and international first industry group, and EIT InnoEnergy, which has supported Nordluft since 2018, for its innovative drone technology offering a novel solution for sustainable forest management. 

“We are thrilled that Södra, Sweden’s largest forest owners’ association, has shown such strong confidence in Nordluft’s concept by choosing to invest through its subsidiary, Södra Ädla. Södra’s extensive network of forest owners and industry connections significantly strengthens our market position,” said Elof Winroth, founder and CEO, Nordluft.

“We are also proud and grateful to receive continued support from the leading investor in sustainable energy EIT InnoEnergy, whose vast network can help us reach markets across Europe and beyond.”

To this point, effective drone technologies for fertilizing or returning bioash to forest soil have been thin. Traditionally, the industry has relied on helicopters, tractors, or converted forestry machines for spreading, which incurs high-costs in terms of personnel, machinery, and transport, while lacking in precision. 

Drone technology, however, has reached a point where it is able to enhance the ability to spread ashes over even small areas without harming the forest, and can gain access to any terrain regardless of the soil’s bearing capacity, eliminating the need for the construction of access roads. 

“The use of drones is widespread in many areas within our society, yet their potential in more tangible tasks within forestry and agriculture applications remains largely untapped,” said Winroth.

“This is the gap our solution addresses. Drone-based deployment allows for access to any terrain, regardless of soil bearing capacity. Moreover, we anticipate that our technology could significantly reduce spreading costs in the long term by more than 50 percent compared to current methods.”

Nordluft’s platform includes a fleet of autonomous operating drones, a proprietary control system, and a base station housed in a converted truck that provides ample cargo space for needed logistics. The drones loaded with bioash, fertilizer, or other materials from the truck, deploy in groups to distribute their loads over the surrounding area. 

Its system offers multiple benefits that go beyond existing methods including the reduction in the number of vehicles and operators needed, making it particularly cost-effective for owners of smaller forest acreage. 

The drones can also precisely target very small areas down to an individual tree, and adjust the quantity of materials to be spread based on specific environmental conditions. These benefits can even be cross-applied to agriculture, decreasing the reliance on chemical inputs for higher productivity. 

“Increased ash recycling helps maintain the nutrient balance in forests post-thinning and facilitates enhanced carbon sequestration and forest growth, potentially increasing by 10-20 percent on lands with a good nitrogen balance,” said Erik Bengtsson, investment manager, Södra Ädla. “This investment represents another step towards smarter and more circular forestry.”Sara Hjortmar, Investment Manager at EIT InnoEnergy Scandinavia added, “Nordluft has demonstrated significant progress since our initial support. We are excited to reaffirm our commitment to Nordluft and continue backing their journey towards commercialisation.”

“Their innovative product holds substantial promise in both the forestry and energy sectors. Besides, with Södra potentially becoming a key future client for Nordluft, we are delighted to welcome them as a new investor and strategic partner.”

~ Lynda Kiernan-Stone is editor in chief with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and Agtech Intel News. She can be reached at lkiernan-stone@globalaginvesting.com.

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