Strategic Framework for Sustainable, Resilient, and Innovative Forest Management

Abstract

Over the past two decades, precision forestry technologies—particularly Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT)—have developed significantly. However, their application has remained predominantly focused on timber production, an approach that is increasingly unable to address effectively the challenges posed by climate change, ecosystem-level risks, and complex natural hazards. This study examines the potential for introducing the Forestry 5.0 paradigm in Hungary as a response to the limits of timber-focused precision forestry. Based on the principles of Industry 5.0, Forestry 5.0 represents a human-centred, sustainable, and resilient framework for forest management. The approach incorporates the principles of Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HCAI), ensuring transparent, accountable, and human-supervised decision support. The research proposes a five-category functional model consisting of data collection, planning, operations, logistics, and monitoring, providing a framework for reinterpreting the sustainability dimensions of precision forestry systems. The paradigm is also particularly relevant to disaster management and industrial safety, as it supports the early detection of forest fires, storm damage, and drought-induced forest degradation, while enabling rapid, data-driven planning of response measures. The study concludes that Forestry 5.0 bridges the gap between precision technologies and ecosystem-based, resilient forest management, positioning it as a data-driven, climate-adaptive, and safety-oriented forestry and risk management system.