AI Meets Forestry: EU Project SWIFTT Webinar Explores Insect Damage Detection in European Forests

09 June 2025

The SWIFTT project invites forest professionals, researchers, and remote sensing experts to its upcoming webinar, “Leveraging AI Models for Insect Damage Detection in European Forests,” taking place online on 11 July 2025, from 14:00 to 15:00 CEST (Paris Time).

The webinar will explore the practical and technical challenges of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and satellite data to monitor bark beetle outbreaks—one of the most pressing threats to forest health in Europe.

In the first session, led by project partner Juris Zariņš (Rīgas Meži, LV), participants will gain insight into the real-world challenges of detecting insect damage early, a task made more difficult by the speed and subtlety of pest spread.

This sets the stage for Prof. Annalisa Appice (UNIBA, IT), who will delve into how AI models can support large-scale monitoring—but only when anchored in accurate, high-quality field data.

Together, these sessions highlight the critical interplay between remote sensing, machine learning, and traditional forestry knowledge, reinforcing SWIFTT’s mission to create practical tools that forest managers can trust and apply.

Register on the link below.