Exploring the Future of Forestry with Location Intelligence at Esri's Inaugural Forestry Symposium
Earlier this month, the Esri Foresty Team hosted the inaugural Forestry Symposium at Esri’s campus in Redlands, CA, bringing together senior leaders, GIS experts, industry thought leaders, and passionate educators from across the US and Canada to explore how location intelligence is shaping the future of forestry.
Despite the rainy weather, attendees were engaged in a day full of meaningful conversations, tech demonstrations, insightful presentations from industry peers, interactive panel discussions, and valuable networking opportunities. The day was filled with thoughtful questions, lively discussions, and a visit from Jack Dangermond, who shared his perspective on the evolution of GIS, its future direction, and its growing value as an enterprise business system.
We began the day with Brian Cross, Esri’s Executive Director of Professional Services, who highlighted the global impact of Esri technology. From there, the Forestry Team explored how ArcGIS delivers meaningful business value across three core pillars: planning, asset management, and operations. Tech demonstrations showcased a range of capabilities, from basic web editing to enhanced collaboration and situational awareness among field teams, as well as supply chain visibility and risk mitigation using graph analytics and large language models.
Industry peers shared real-world use cases, showcasing the profound impact of location intelligence in forestry and reinforcing key themes throughout the day. Panel discussions provided an open forum for thought leaders to reflect on their adoption journeys, exchange experiences, and offer insights into the future of the industry.
As the day came to a close, attendees gathered at Esri’s Headquarters building for a social event and continued networking. The highlight of the evening was the chance to explore Esri’s Geo Experience Center, a state-of-the-art facility that showcases the most advanced developments in GIS, digital mapping, and location intelligence. The center’s cutting-edge displays and interactive exhibits left a lasting impression, underscoring the innovation and progress that is driving GIS forward.
Looking ahead, the Esri Forestry Symposium will build on this momentum in the coming years. We’re inspired by the remarkable work being done within this community and look forward to continuing our collaboration as we shape the future of forestry together.
A sincere thank you to Scot McQueen (Forest Stewardship Council), Kevin Lim (Lim Geomatics), Mark Corrao (Northwest Management Inc), Steve Hawkes (LandVest), Mark Books (Landmark Spatial Solutions), and Joel Glaze (ExxonMobil Environmental & Property Solutions) for sharing their invaluable insights and the impactful work they're doing to advance the industry.
