Forest Inventory & Species Identification

Technology tools for
forest inventorying


Efforts were made in this section to provide a glimpse of technology tools used across the globe for forest inventorying by forest owners, community-based forest managing institutions, industries and governments. These tools include a wide array of modules and functionalities to help prepare inventories of smallholders in forestry as well as big operators including the governments.

The Trestima Forest Inventory System


The Trestima Forest Inventory System developed by Trestima Oy in Finland enables a smartphone to take images of various points of the forest area and then to send them to the Trestima cloud for storage and data analysis. The Trestima web service helps the users to get the estimates for tree diameter, height, basal area, number of trees per ha and the user can download the data in MS Excel or xml format. The application can be used in both Android and iOS platforms.

Katam Forest


: Decision Support is developed by Katam Technologies AB, Sweden, which has Katam mobile app and Katam Portal. The Mobile application runs on android platforms and captures high quality data and accurate measurements are made for creating forest inventories through Katam Portal.

Arboreal Forest Application


developed by Arboreal AB, Sweden, helps in creating forest inventorying and runs on iOS devices. The app helps in creating a digital boundary and select specific center and gather images of the trees in the boundary to estimate tree species, tree measurements details, trees for ha, volumes, basal area etc.

Forest Scanner


developed by Mapry company of Japan, is a mobile application that runs on iPhone or iPad for creating forest inventories. The application uses a built-in LiDAR sensor and any user can scan a tree to estimate the stem diameters and spatial coordinates based on real-time instance segmentation and circle fitting.

Södra Sweden


Södra Sweden in collaboration with AI company Terra Labs will be launching Planner App in September 2025 to help forest managers to prepare forest management plans using remote sensing and next generation AI technologies. The application will also help the forest managers to access accurate and automated forestry data in real-time to monitor and take appropriate decisions for the forests.

Arboair Automated Digital Forest


Arboair Automated Digital Forest Inventory is a subscription-based web portal where data is collected by drones, airplanes or satellites and drone images are processed to generate up to date ortho photos of the forest and height models. The photos and height maps are analyzed by the models to generate information about every tree. The data is stored in a database that can be connected to the user’s GIS software and management platform.

Forest Inventory Reporting System (FIRS)


Forest Inventory Reporting System (FIRS), developed by Universal Forest Systems, Australia in 2018, is an integrated data capture, data management, analysis and reporting system which supports a wide suite of both biometric and grade recovery alternatives. The mobile app enables seamless collection and submission of forest inventory data to FIRS for immediate growth projection and analysis.

Overview of Species Identification Applications

Our planet has an amazing biodiversity with around 390,000 plant species and around 8.7 million animal species. How nice it would be to know these different forms of life that co-exist on this planet with us. If you are a botanist, taxonomist, wildlife researcher or forester, who can identify plants and animals by just seeing them, touching them, or hearing them, that’s absolutely amazing.

Merlin
(birds only)

A bird identification tool developed by Cornell Labs, Merlin assists users through photo recognition and the analysis of bird calls. It offers downloadable regional bird packs at no cost and includes features such as species images at different life stages and sound recordings, making it ideal for ornithologists and bird enthusiasts.

iNaturalist

A widely utilized app for identifying plants and animals globally. It connects users to a network of naturalists to support biodiversity research. With features such as detailed galleries, mapping tools, and project creation capabilities, iNaturalist is an invaluable resource for both casual users and scientific endeavors.

Seek

Powered by AI and integrated with iNaturalist, this application aids in identifying plants, trees, fungi, and animals. It provides preliminary suggestions, such as family or genus classifications, and can be used alongside other apps like Obsidentify for confirmation purposes. Seek is particularly effective for obtaining group-level identifications.

Pl@ntNet application

This platform identifies tens of thousands of plant species through photo analysis. It incorporates cooperative learning by leveraging shared user observations to enhance its AI capabilities. Expert validations carry more weight in the review process, and the AI is re-trained regularly to ensure precision while minimizing energy consumption.

Obsidentify
(all wild plants, animals and fungi)

This application specializes in identifying wild plants, animals, and fungi. It utilizes photos taken in the field to suggest identifications, providing a confidence score. Originally developed for use in the Netherlands, it is effective globally as a standalone tool. Accurate results depend on the visibility of key identification features within the image.

Wild Me

Leveraging AI and citizen science, Wild Me facilitates global animal identification by analyzing natural markings, vocalizations, and genetic data. It supports the creation of collaborative research networks and collects behavioral data to study wildlife populations.

Picture This

This app quickly identifies wild and garden plants, as well as insects and birds in its 'more' section. It provides common names, photos, FAQs, name origins, facts, symbolism, care guides, scientific classification, distribution, and garden uses. While helpful for plant ID and info, it doesn't contribute to science or conservation. To aid research, consider uploading IDs to iRecord or iNaturalist.

The butterflies of India

mobile app is a component of the Biodiversity Atlas – India mobile app. The app can be used as a field guide for identifying butterflies, learning about their biology, organizing field observations, and contributing to this citizen science platform. The app can be downloaded for Android phones from this website. It will be available on Google Play Store and the iOS version on Apple App Store soon.

Vannya

This digital bird guide covers over a thousand bird species, supports personalised checklists, and records sightings using preferred taxonomy formats. It offers size comparisons with common species and access to typical vocalisations, featuring over 25,000 sound recordings from the Indian subcontinent.

Leaf Snap

This application excels at identifying trees, boasting a botanical database that can pinpoint over 90% of known plant and tree species. Additionally, LeafSnap serves as a handy reminder tool, enabling users to track their plant care and maintenance activities. Renowned for its precise identification capabilities, it includes a vast database encompassing more than 90% of known plant species. The app features an intuitive user interface and consistently delivers high accuracy.

Plantora

Plantora is a plant scanner and medical application. The app includes features such as plant health checks, diagnostics, symptom analysis, plant care instructions, and personalized reminders. The navigation section provides information on the requirements and maintenance of various devices. The app is free and allows unlimited daily scans. Plantora has a large database and offers many features without requiring a premium subscription. The app has a clean user interface and does not display ads.

Plant Lens
(Plant & Flower Identification)

This application identifies plants, cacti, mushrooms, leaves, and flowers by comparing them with a database of over 60,000 plant species. Users can create a personal plant map with their photos, enabling them to keep track of all the plants, trees, and flowers in their collection.

iTrees App

This application from India includes information on 50 common tree species found in metropolitan areas such as Mumbai, Kolkata, New Delhi, and Hyderabad. It assists users in identifying trees, serving as an alternative tool to consulting with an expert. If a tree is not listed in the app, additional references including books and online resources are provided for identification.

Flora Incognita

This application allows users to upload a photo of a flower or leaf, providing precise information about the plant in seconds. It includes a species profile page with details such as characteristics and distribution. The application can identify over 4800 plant species and offers search and filter options for quick identification. Users have the ability to save, export, and share observations across various social media platforms.

NatureID

This application can accurately identify over 10,000 plants with an accuracy rate of up to 95%. It offers a range of features including plant disease diagnosis and allows users to set multiple reminders for plant care.

Picture Insect
(Bug Identifier )

The Picture Insect app helps users identify and learn about insects. It features a large database with over a thousand insect species and has an identification accuracy rating of 95.28%. After identifying a bug, the app provides detailed information about the species. Users can use Picture Insect to Know More about insects found in their yard or house.

Birda

Birda is quickly becoming popular for bird identification among birdwatchers worldwide. Apple has awarded it 'App of the Day' in 148 countries. The app receives updates every two weeks, and you can identify birds by photo via AI, community assistance, or the species guide. Birda's free species guide rivals paid guides, making it a top choice for birdwatchers. Premium features like private challenges and custom lists are available for those looking to enhance their experience

Picture Search Engines

Tools such as Google Lens enable species identification using uploaded images. Users can receive matches and taxonomic hints; however, accuracy may be limited at the species level, especially for organisms with closely related characteristics.