| Patent holder | Airforestry Ab |
| Patent link | View patent |
| Category | Harvesting & Extraction › Remote sensing & mapping |
Method and system for remote or Autonomous holding a tree trunk
This patent concept describes an unmanned aerial vehicle system specifically engineered to physically grasp, stabilise, or support a tree trunk at various stages of the harvesting process — prior to felling, during the cutting operation, or immediately after the tree has been severed. The concept addresses real operational challenges in forestry: controlling the felling direction of trees on steep slopes or in confined spaces where conventional harvesting head directional control is limited; preventing hung-up trees (a major safety hazard) by maintaining tension on the trunk during and after the cut; or lifting and repositioning logs in terrain inaccessible to ground machinery. The UAV in such a system would require substantially greater payload capacity than typical commercial drones, necessitating large multi-rotor or hybrid VTOL designs, and would be equipped with specialised gripping or clamping mechanisms capable of exerting controlled directional forces on stems of varying diameter. Remote or autonomous operation would be supported by positioning systems, tension sensors, and real-time communication with the harvesting machine operator or a supervisory control system. While no commercial system of this type has reached operational deployment as of 2025, the concept aligns with broader research directions in heavy-lift UAV development (including systems designed for infrastructure maintenance and emergency rescue) and with the forestry industry's ongoing search for solutions to the safety and productivity challenges of steep-terrain harvesting. In the Australian context, where significant volumes of timber are located in steep and difficult terrain in Tasmania, Victoria, and New South Wales, UAV-assisted harvesting control could reduce worker exposure to dangerous felling and extraction operations and open up areas currently uneconomic to harvest with conventional machinery.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Company | Airforestry Ab |
| Type | Patent |
| Year | 27/5/21 |
| Status | Pending |
| FWPA RD&E | 4.4 |
| Inventors | Romar Markus, Gelin Olle, Andersson Mauritz |
| Patent No. | WO 2021/239921 A1 |