How are forests becoming digital environments? The Smart Forests research project investigates the social-political impacts of digital technologies that monitor and govern forests. In this podcast series, we speak to scientists, artists, activists, and technologists about their work.
Find out more about the Smart Forests project at https://smartforests.net/ and explore the Smart Forests Atlas at https://atlas.smartforests.net/.
Niall Burnside: Monitoring Scotland's Temperate Rainforests across Sea and Land
In this episode of Smart Forests Radio, we speak with Niall Burnside, Senior Lecturer in Biogeography and Geoinformatics at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), about marine ecosystems and their connections to Scotland's Atlantic temperate rainforests. The conversation explores how ecological research is increasingly organised around interconnected ‘source-to-sea’ systems rather than fixed geographical boundaries. Niall walks us through the technologies SAMS deploys, such as drones, LiDAR, robotics, and AI, and how they help understand marine and forest systems as a whole. He also reflects on the educational networks developed through SAMS's Scientific Robotics Academy, including STEM outreach, hands-on training, and knowledge exchange with woodland communities, and their role in widening access to digital environmental technologies.
Interviewers: Jennifer Gabrys and Phoebe Hamilton Jones
Producer: Harry Murdoch
Image: SAMS Robotics Academy
3 Jun 2026
Gordon Gray Stephens: Visualising and Saving Scotland’s Rainforest
In this episode of Smart Forests Radio, we speak with Gordon Gray Stephens, Saving Scotland’s Rainforest advisor and director of the Native Woods Co-op, about the growing movement for restoring temperate rainforests on the west coast of Scotland. Gordon reflects on how the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest coalesced around a single shared term, “rainforest,” and why that shift in language has made a material difference in conversations with policymakers, funders, landowners, and communities. He discusses the role of digital technologies in this restoration work, from mapping the spread of invasive rhododendron across the landscape to using thermal drones for deer counting. He also makes a case for keeping these tools in the hands of people working locally, rather than allowing them to merely feed decision-making processes from afar.
Interviewers: Jennifer Gabrys and Phoebe Hamilton Jones
Producer: Harry Murdoch
Image: The Woodland Trust
27 May 2026
Rachel French: Forests as Community Spaces
In this episode of Smart Forests Radio, we speak with Rachel French, former biodiversity officer at the Mull and Iona Community Trust (MICT), about the regeneration of the Ardura Community Forest on the Isle of Mull and the vital role forests play as community spaces. Rachel discusses connecting people with woodlands through school visits, volunteer programmes, and wildlife-themed events, alongside the restoration of ancient Atlantic oak woodland and peatland. She also describes the technologies used in the forest—from QR codes monitoring water quality during Sitka spruce harvesting to drone surveys, camera trapping, and fixed-point photography—before reflecting on how harvesting Sitka spruce and emerging opportunities such as biodiversity credits can support local livelihoods and sustain community forests.
Interviewers: Jennifer Gabrys and Phoebe Hamilton Jones
Producer: Harry Murdoch
Image: Mull and Iona Community Trust (MICT)
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