Get Started with ArcGIS in Forest Management: Key Takeaways from Our Webinar
Forestry professionals face a unique set of challenges such as climate change, regulatory complexity, workforce shortages, and operational inefficiencies. Our recent webinar, Get Started with ArcGIS in Forest Management, explored how GIS can help organizations streamline workflows from office to field and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Key Takeaways
Streamlined Workflows: ArcGIS connects office analysis with field operations, reducing redundancy and errors in data collection, inventory management, and harvest planning.
Living Atlas Advantage: Access to the world’s largest geospatial data repository allows forestry professionals to scout, analyze, and plan with up-to-date and authoritative information.
Imagery and Remote Sensing: Dani Powers (Esri) demonstrated how organizations can use free Living Atlas resources along with affordable drone and satellite imagery to support accurate analysis and monitoring.
Partner Solutions: Kerry Halligan of Woodland Solutions Group presented a live demo of MobileMap and InventoryManager, two applications that extend ArcGIS to streamline timber inventory and field data collection.
Framing the Challenges: Jared Beard opened the session by highlighting the operational and environmental challenges that foresters face today, connecting those realities to practical GIS applications.
Efficiency and Accuracy: Tools such as automated error checking, Bluetooth integration with field devices, and configurable forms ensure high-quality, reliable forestry data.
Licensing Flexibility: From Viewer licenses for stakeholders to Creator and Pro licenses for GIS professionals, Esri offers scalable solutions to fit organizational needs.
We were excited to see how engaged attendees were throughout the session. Your poll responses gave us valuable insight into your day-to-day challenges, and your questions kept our chat monitor, Luke, busy. Thank you for actively participating and helping us tailor the conversation to real-world needs.
We also want to thank those who joined our “Circle Back Chat” after the webinar. This bonus session created space for deeper discussion with peers, Esri staff, and industry experts, and we loved seeing the conversation continue beyond the scheduled hour.
Whether you are focused on timber cruising, harvest planning, or conservation monitoring, GIS provides practical tools to save time, reduce costs, and improve accuracy. By combining Esri technology with partner solutions such as Woodland Solutions Group, forestry professionals can build resilient systems that support sustainable forest management.
A recoding of the webinar can be found here: https://link.esri.com/forestrywebinar/getstartedrecording
Stay tuned for our upcoming webinar on November 13 where we will dive deeper into advanced analytics in forestry.
