What does sustainable forest management look like in practice today? It looks like local expertise and the right technology coming together.

Earlier this year, Johannes Mössinger and Olivier Wenzek from our Digital Solutions Department were in Guatemala, working with our local partner ACOFOP – a leading regional NGO – to advance sustainable forest management.

During the visit, Johannes and Olivier, together with Leif Nutto, trained ACOFOP’s foresters and managers on UCollect, our field data collection app, and MIS, our geospatial monitoring and information system.

The team also developed real-time analyses tailored to ACOFOP’s Modelo Forestal Comunitario 30-year forest management plans, the requirements of the Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (CONAP), and the priorities of local communities.

Alongside significant time savings in data collection and a substantial improvement in data quality, one key outcome was the development of preliminary tree-level harvesting results – including harvest-year classifications and projected wood volumes – creating a stronger, more precise foundation for long-term forest stewardship.

What stood out was the collaboration itself: local knowledge and digital innovation together. The best solutions are built with the people who know the landscape best – and this is how sustainable forest management becomes practical, scalable and grounded in real impact.