Page 17 - Tree Line - North Carolina Forestry Association - First Quarter 2021

“Data is the new gold.”
— Mark Cuban
Shifts in the Industry
It goes without saying that the forestry
and wood products industry has changed substantially in the past 25 years. Those
of us who worked for vertically integrated forest product companies are scattered across all types of organizations. Structural changes have impacted the technology options our industry has available. For instance:
• Theindustryismakinglower-than- average R&D investments1 compared to industry peers, slowing the entry of new software technologies into the sector.
• Theindustryhasbeenslowto embrace innovations, while technology advancement elsewhere is accelerating.
• Technologiesfromindustryand universities are near or past their useful life,orfaceuncertaintyofcontinued function as the surrounding technology landscape evolves.
• Theindustryisn’tcompetingfor technology talent in the workforce; it needs to technically “upskill” operations, exacerbating the slow adoption of innovations.
• Withthepaceofchangeincreasing,a widening innovation gap is forming, which
can leave organizations vulnerable to hacks and security breaches.
Source: 1.) The Blue Ribbon Commission on Forest and Forest Products Research & Development in the U.S. in the 21st Century. U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. 2017.
Technology Trends
How technology solutions are being made and kept up to date is different than 10 or 20 years ago. Many of the advancements one can benefit from today came after
the release of the iPhone in 2007 and the subsequent rise of the commercial cloud. A software engineer can still develop softwaretoinstallonlyonapersonal computer if they wish. However, if an engineer needs software to function on smart devices, support multiple users from a single source of data and — most importantly —get updates efficiently, it makes far more sense today to build using cloud computing platforms.
The following are some select points on the current state of technology that are highly relevant to businesses of all sizes:
• The most powerful business solutions today rely on cloud computing. Examples are Quickbooks Online, Adobe Creative Cloud,Office365,ArcGISOnline,and Salesforce. Each of these examples supports access by any device, a “pay
for what you use” model, data security, updates, and enhancements.
• “NoorLowCode”computing platforms are becoming pervasive. These frameworks allow one to configure to meet
6
(non-technical things) to know about cloud computing: https://soforest.com/ cloud101.
specific needs that are not present out of the box. They provide powerful tools that can be quickly set up, without code, for new project needs as they arise.
• Thesoftwareworldisshiftingto “Software as a Service” (SaaS), which allows you to use and pay for what you need, typically on an annual basis.
• Extensiveopen-source(mostlyfree) tools. While it’s rare for businesses to operate solely on open source, since software updates and support are uncertain, there are amazing toolsets available for those who are inclined to tinker.
Practical Take-Homes
Forestry professionals value the practical, the consistent, the proven — tendencies that contrast with a technical world that seems inclined to constantly change.
Is there a widening gap between
the technology tools our industry uses,andtheadvancesdisruptingand revolutionizing other industries? The breadth of a gap is a hard question to answer concisely and is subject to debate. However, businesses benefit from data, andthosewhohavestrengthswithdata and analysis have an edge.
The future of business will be more digital in terms of communication, collaboration, and general filing. Technology will never replace relationships, conversations, or the need to get out and walk a tract and get your boots dirty. How will our industry and profession make the digital transition? The answer is different based on your business, the number of staff you employ, and where you’re beginning the journey.
Below are some parting thoughts as you forge forward into the digital future:
• Datahaslimitedpowerandreturnon investment if it is not useable, searchable, and deliverable to the smart devices everyone has in their hands today.
• Many forestry organizations need to address basic information storage and retrieval in the cloud where it can extend to anyone, and any device.
• Youdon’thavetounderstand technology to use it in your business. It’s more important to know what the business goals are, assemble the right team, and choose the technology that aligns with the goals.
A real-time dashboard for reporting information.
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