What is the "Smallforest" mobile app, and how to use it

Currently, the developer of the mobile application for forest users "Smallforest" and a member of the NGO "Forest Initiatives and Society" team, Ihor Aleksiyuk, is in the ranks of the Armed Forces. Meanwhile, the application is already used by more than 3.5 thousand users.

The functionality of the program involves editing and creating new sections or sections and entering information (tax indicators) about them. The entered information is transmitted to other employees of this forest user, which allows receiving operational information about the changes occurring in the forest fund.

In practice, a forestry engineer can enter information about the felling (or something else) that is planned on the phone, and the chief forester, the forester of this forestry and his assistant, the master of the forest, will receive the same information on the map in their phone, regardless of whether it is Android or iPhone. Messages are sent automatically, and if the recipient is not online for more than 30 days, the data is deleted. The system allows you to have dozens of copies of information at the same time, and in case of one phone failure, the data will not disappear. It is also possible to send all existing data to another user in the event of a new phone.

Information is not transferred to territorial and central bodies of executive power, which implement the state policy in the field of forestry. Also, the need for training our future foresters was taken into account, and four virtual forest users were created for them.

So, the work done received both individual positive reviews and no reaction from the majority of foresters.

• Editing and creation of new allocations or sections and entering information (taxation indicators) about them;
• Keep a "List of trees" directly on the phone with the simultaneous calculation of the material and monetary value of the felling directly in the forest;
• Keep a "Numbering list of trees" when removing sanitary fellings;
• Output for printing "Plan of compass survey";
• Measure the height of growing trees using the phone's camera;
• To exchange relevant information between employees of a separate enterprise, which allows obtaining relevant data on the state of the forest fund;
• The construction of a technological map of the development of forest cutting has been added.

The above-mentioned functionality, in some cases, requires practical adaptation because no funds were used for the development of the mobile application, and in some cases, there was a forced lack of interest in its use.

In 2021, the "National Forest Inventory of Ukraine" began in Ukraine, and the "Smallforest" application had to be adapted to perform these works. According to the results of the field season, the promising use of this software product was recognized and allowed to quickly and efficiently perform these works. Perhaps the biggest impression was made by the functionality of information verification because the data maintained by the field team can be seen immediately.