Artificial intelligence revealed more than 400 cases of changes in the forest fund in the Nizhny Novgorod region

"Digital Forest" is a platform containing all mandatory documentation of various organizations of the industry and government bodies in electronic format.

Information Technology in the Forest Industry

Main article: Information technologies in the forest industry

History

2025: Identification of more than 400 cases of forest fund changes

Nizhny Novgorod region The system artificial intelligence , within the framework of the Digital Forest information system, recorded more than 400 cases of changes in the forest fund for to data space shooting. This was announced on August 20, 2025 by the press service of the member. Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications Anton Nemkin

Neural network algorithms were are integrated in the system in early July 2023.

Artificial intelligence has been trained on 7,600 reference images, allowing it to analyze current high-resolution satellite images with high accuracy. The technology identifies various changes in the state of forests, including violations of forest legislation, the consequences of natural disasters and other anomalies.

Data on changes on the lands of the forest fund are displayed on the map in the form of polygons: the specialist clearly sees in which territories these forest changes are identified and what sizes they have. Summary information about the changes is displayed in the table, where all cases are ranked by the degree of possible damage - it is automatically calculated by the system, based on the area of ​ ​ the incident, the breed composition and many other data, - explained the Minister of Digital Development and Communications of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Alexander Sinelobov.

Automation of monitoring processes allows you to significantly save the working time of specialists and redirect the freed up resources to solve other problems. Most of the identified changes are existing and completed forest sections, but a number of damage caused by squally wind is also recorded.

Such tools allow not only to record the facts of felling or the consequences of natural disasters, but also to quickly respond to violations, preventing the infliction of greater damage to the ecology and economy of the region. The main quality of artificial intelligence is its ability to process huge amounts of satellite data in the shortest possible time. Where the specialist needed weeks of manual verification, the algorithm copes with the clock and at the same time minimizes the human factor. This means that the state receives an accurate and up-to-date picture of changes in the forest fund, as well as the ability to build targeted response measures, "he explained.

The system shows "problem areas," and specialists conduct on-the-ground inspections and make management decisions. Such a symbiosis of technologies and expert analysis is the key to effective control. In the future, the introduction of such solutions will allow not only to record changes, but also to predict them. For example, analysis of weather conditions, soil characteristics and tree breed composition in conjunction with AI can show risk zones in advance. This will become an important tool for prevention, - he said.

2023:60 million hectares of Russian forest under satellite surveillance

Earth remote sensing satellites (remote sensing satellites) monitor 60 million hectares of forest in Russia, thanks to the beginning of September 2023, 232 cases of illegal logging with a volume of about 50.7 thousand m3 were detected. Such statistics are provided by the Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz).

As explained in the department, remote monitoring is one of the main measures for decriminalization and development of the forest complex. It is indispensable for monitoring the use of forests and the implementation of federal state forest control and protection, including the identification of illegal logging.

DZZ satellites monitor 60 million hectares of forest in Russia

Remote monitoring uses LesEGAIS data and materials from space images. The largest amount of control from space is carried out in those regions and forestries where timber harvesting and processing is actively developed, as well as facts of illegal logging of forest plantations were noted.

As the deputy head of Rosleskhoz Anastasia Vinokurova said, by September 2023, most violations were detected in the Irkutsk, Sverdlovsk, Arkhangelsk regions, as well as in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Republic of Buryatia.

I note that a particularly alarming situation is observed in Buryatia, where the volume of illegal logging according to the results of continuous monitoring amounted to about 10 thousand m3, including 1.8 thousand m3 in protective forests. Regional forest departments should take measures to preserve the ecological potential of the regions' forests, she said

According to Rosleskhoz, by September 2023, in the Eravninsky forestry, the regional forest department of the Republic of Buryatia revealed the fact of illegal logging on an area of ​ ​ 20.6 hectares with the felling of 888 larch trees in the amount of 1.2 thousand m3. The amount of harm, taking into account the littering of the logging area, amounted to 11.8 million rubles.^[1]

2020: Creation of a platform by combining LesEGAIS and remote monitoring IS Rosleskhoz

In Russia, by 2023, the Digital Forest platform will be created. It will combine forest management information systems LesEGAIS and remote monitoring IS of Rosleshoz. TAdviser was informed about this by the Ministry of Natural Resources on March 2, 2020.

As told in the department, among its current plans - model development of solutions of the Digital Forest platform in six forestries of individual Russian regions: Khabarovsk Territory, Primorsky, Zabaikalsky, the republics of Buryatia, Sakha (Yakutia) and in the Amur Region. Platform design, as of March 2, 2020, has already begun.

The Digital Forest platform, according to the concept, will contain all mandatory forest documentation in electronic format. Thus, it will make it possible to obtain prompt and reliable information on the current state of forest plots and other data so far formed on paper.

The Digital Forest platform will make it possible to obtain prompt and reliable information on the current state of forest plots and other data so far formed on paper. (photo - jour-control.ru)

In addition, the platform will allow automatically comparing the documentation of industry organizations and government bodies with project documentation.

It is assumed that after comparison, the platform will give information about possible errors and violations. Accordingly, the user will have the opportunity online to correct violations without waiting for the inspector to come and impose a fine, the Ministry of Natural Resources told TAdviser.

The platform also involves the remote provision in electronic format of state and municipal services in the field of forestry.

The project will mainly be financed from the federal budget, including those allocated for the Digital Economy national program and the Ecology national project, follows from the concept. This document, as TAdviser was told in the Ministry of Natural Resources, was developed by Rosleskhoz specialists as part of a working group, which also included experts from the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Communications, Rosreestr and Roslesinforg. The concept is being coordinated by all interested departments, after which it will be sent to the government, the Ministry of Natural Resources reported on its official website on February 12, 2020.