Karin Vestlund

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Karin Vestlund’s research lies at the intersection of forestry and robotics, focusing on the automation of selective cleaning—a critical silvicultural operation that improves growing conditions for young trees. Her work addresses the rising costs and labor demands of pre-commercial thinning in Sweden by pioneering autonomous robotic solutions for forest management. Vestlund’s most influential paper, “Requirements and system design for a robot performing selective cleaning in young forest stands” (2005, 25 citations), lays the foundational framework for developing artificial agents capable of navigating and operating in complex, unstructured forest environments. She further advanced the field with “Aspects of automation of selective cleaning” (2005, 8 citations), which explores the technical and operational challenges of replacing manual labor with robots. A key contribution is her development of a decision support system (DSS) for selective cleaning (2006, 5 citations), which automates the complex process of stem selection—a task traditionally requiring human judgment. Vestlund’s work is notable for bridging mechanical engineering, computer science, and forestry, offering a scalable path toward rationalizing forest management. Her research remains a cornerstone for those exploring autonomous systems in natural resource industries.