Smart technology helping protect forest from wildfire

How Komatsu forestry equipment with Smart Forestry technology is helping the Spanish government protect the forest in Tenerife from wildfire – and what this means for the future of wildfire management.

When fire strikes

Tenerife’s forests are more than landscapes. They are living systems that stabilize steep volcanic slopes, shelter biodiversity and sustain the island’s tourism and community life.

In 2023 a massive wildfire tore through Tenerife’s northern slopes. Protected natural areas were scorched. Roads and parks were closed. The skies filled with smoke. Over 26,000 people were evacuated from towns and villages. The island slowed to a halt.

After the fire, vast stands of pine trees were left dead and dangerously unstable, many towering over roads, trails and infrastructure. Their roots no longer held the soil, and on the island’s steep slopes the risk of collapse was high. With the rainy season approaching, there was a growing threat of landslides, floods and further environmental damage. To prevent disaster, the island’s forestry teams declared an emergency and mapped out high-risk zones for immediate intervention — all within protected natural parks and conservation areas.

When machines make protection possible

To tackle this complex challenge, Tenerife’s environmental teams turned to technology. Komatsu’s machines were to play a big part in solving it — not as tools for timber, but as instruments for ecological recovery and protection.

The local government gained support from the community by making it clear that the machinery would support environmental recovery and wildfire prevention. Once that was understood — and the machines demonstrated their ability to work with precision and care for the surrounding ecosystem — public support grew significantly.

The island’s forestry services brought in Komatsu’s harvester and forwarder to safely remove hazardous trees from steep, fire-damaged slopes within protected natural areas.

The intervention zones were mapped using digital terrain analysis, which identified where machines could operate safely and where manual work was necessary. This information was integrated into Komatsu’s Smart Forestry system, allowing operators to follow pre-planned routes and coordinate log collection with precision and care.

> Find out more about the machine that is helping to protect Tenerife’s forests.

Steep challenges

On steep, forested slopes, the Komatsu harvester processed fire-damaged trees with surgical accuracy, guided by onboard controls that minimized soil disturbance and removed dead trees without disturbing the native plants growing beneath. The forwarder followed along carefully planned extraction paths, helping teams remove material efficiently without destabilizing the terrain.

In areas beyond mechanical reach, crews worked manually with winch systems, using Komatsu’s digital mapping tools to coordinate movement, georeferenced wood piles and document each step. Even when the machines weren’t physically present, their data and digital tools helped make the work safer, faster and more precise.

Long-term protection

Today, those same machines are part of the island’s long-term strategy to prevent future wildfires. Komatsu’s harvester and forwarder are used to thin overcrowded tree stands — reducing fuel buildup, improving tree health and making the forest more resilient to drought and fire.

One species of pine, the Pinus canariensis, is key to the island’s ecological recovery. Unlike other pine, it is fire adapted. It resprouts after burning thanks to thick bark protecting its core and deep roots holding the soil. Carefully reintroducing it is a cornerstone of Tenerife’s long-term resilience strategy.

In some areas, restoration meant planting by hand. In others, it meant allowing surviving vegetation to recover naturally, with light management and protection. Everything is done with the goal of rebuilding ecosystems, not just replacing trees.

About Smart Forestry

The smart technology our machines use in Tenerife is a set of digital tools that help operators work more efficiently, reduce environmental impact and make better decisions in the forest — all in real time.

Smart Forestry allows operators to plan routes that avoid sensitive terrain, access accurate work data at the start of the day and receive remote support from service technicians when needed. In projects like the restoration work in Tenerife, these capabilities help reduce environmental impact and improve coordination in the field. Smart Forestry includes three connected applications designed to support everything from daily operations to long-term preservation of protected forestry areas.

Below we have highlighted some of the key features that are helping to revolutionize the industry :

Feature 01

Show trends in productivity, fuel use and maintenance.

Owners and operators can view trends over time to understand how machines are performing in the field. This helps to optimize fuel efficiency, identify early signs of wear and boost long-term productivity.

Feature 02

Log tree species and dimensions for easy reporting.

The system records tree data as it’s processed, including species, diameter, and length. This eliminates manual reporting and ensures consistent, accurate records for forest managers and environmental compliance.

Feature 03

Log machine and felled trees positions to simplify navigation.

Every felled tree and machine movement is geotagged, creating a live map of activity in the forest. Forwarders can navigate efficiently to pickup locations without needing verbal instructions or guesswork.

Feature 04

Display map layers like soil, stand boundaries, and risk zones.

Operators can view important layers directly on their in-cab screens — including soil types, management zones and the boundaries between different forest areas. This helps guide harvesting decisions and reduces the risk of crossing into the wrong stand or damaging sensitive terrain.

Feature 05

Data is cloud-synced and accessible from any device, even offline.

All data is synced securely to the cloud and can be accessed from machines, office desktops or tablets. Offline functionality ensures operators still see relevant maps and records even in remote, no-signal locations.

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