PlayFair Forest Network

Bridging Play and Participation in Multi-purpose Forest Planning

Background

The PlayFair Forest Network (2024-2025) is an SNS-funded Annual Network focused on the intersection of participative and playful digital technology and forestry.

Modern forest planning faces increasing demands for public participation and transparency. Digital technologies, such as Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS), location-based games, and gamified applications, offer new ways to engage stakeholders in forest planning. These tools can help gather public preferences, assess their compatibility with existing plans, and identify potential areas of conflict.

Photo: Philip Chambers

Our network aims to achieve the following key goals:

• Facilitate Nordic-Baltic and European knowledge exchange about playful digital technologies in forest planning.
• Strengthen connections between forest planning researchers and experts in human-computer interaction.
• Support young scientists and doctoral researchers in building their professional networks.
• Develop new project ideas and funding applications.
• Create a research agenda for the upcoming years.

Throughout 2025, we are engaged in:

• Regular online meetings of the lead committee and network members
• Two in-person workshops with stakeholders
  (Spring – Finland, and Autumn – Sweden)
• Introducing the network’s website and starting to use it as a knowledge hub
• Partnering for scientific publications and communication activities
• Joint funding proposal development

Our collaborative network brings together leading institutions across the Nordic-Baltic region and beyond:

University of Eastern Finland (UEF), Finland; Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Sweden; University of Copenhagen (KU), Denmark; Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Norway; Latvian State Forest Research Institute (Silava), Latvia; Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), Italy

By the conclusion of our current funding period, we aim to deliver:

• Improved understanding of digital tools in forest planning
• Enhanced collaboration between Nordic-Baltic forest researchers
• Academic publications about digital tools in forest planning
• Joint research proposals
• Research agenda for post-2025
• Policy brief with recommendations
  
  All outcomes will be made publicly available through this website and shared at relevant scientific conferences. Contact our coordinator to learn more about joining our activities.
  
  

Picture: GamiLiDAR project

Funders

The PlayFair Forest Network is funded by Nordic Forest Research (SNS) and ForBioeconomy (the Forest Bioeconomy Network – an European Forest Institute (EFI) research network).

The network was initiated by the UNITE Flagship (Forest – human – machine interplay). UNITE is part of the Research Council of Finland‘s Flagship Programme

SNS (Nordic Forest Research, or SamNordisk Skogsforskning)

The Forest Bioeconomy Network – an EFI research network

Network events and meetings

• PlayFair Forest Network – Kick-off meeting – January 31st, 2025
• 1st PlayFair Forest Network Webinar – April 10th, 2025
• 1st PlayFair Forest Network In-person Meeting in Helsinki – May 27th – 28th, 2025
• 2nd PlayFair Forest Network Webinar – June, date to be decided
• 3rd PlayFair Forest Network Webinar – August, date to be decided
• 4th PlayFair Forest Network Webinar – October, date to be decided
• 5th PlayFair Forest Network Webinar – December, date to be decided

Our supportive stakeholders

• The Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK), Finland
• Sveaskog – Sweden’s state-owned company
• Latvian Forest Advisory Service Centre
• SIA “Rigas mezi” (LLC “Riga Forests”)

Get in touch and get involved!

Interested in joining our network or learning more about our activities? We welcome researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders working with playful digital technologies, public engagement, and sustainable forest management.

Contact us to participate in our webinars, workshops and networking events.

University of Eastern Finland (UEF), Finland 
Prof. Teppo Hujala – [email protected] 
Dr. Mari Selkimäki – [email protected] 
Mr Philip Chambers  – [email protected] 

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden 
Prof. Karin Öhman – [email protected] 
Dr. Isabella Hallberg-Sramek – [email protected] 

Latvian State Forest Research Institute (Silava), Latvia 
Dr. Zane Lībiete – [email protected] 

Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), Italy 
Dr. Simone Bassanelli – [email protected] 

University of Copenhagen, Denmark 
Assoc. Prof. Anton Stahl Olafsson – [email protected] 

Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Norway
Assoc. Prof. Kyle Eyvindson – [email protected]