Joel och Jim Olofsson från Drönarstation står i skogen. Framför dem står deras drönare placerad.

Drönarstation AB launches self-driving drones to prevent bark beetles and storm damage

26 February 2025

Science Park’s incubator company, Drönarstation AB, has developed the first self-driving drone system with built-in image analysis. A solution that enables forest owners to monitor their forests and quickly detect damage caused by spruce bark beetles and storms.

Keeping track of one’s forest is not always an easy task. The spruce bark beetles has caused significant problems in recent years. Between 2018 and 2021 alone, around 34 million cubic metres of spruce were destroyed, leading to major financial losses for forest owners (source: The Swedish Forest Agency).

Drönarbild av en barrskog. Mitt i skogen slingrar sig en grusväg.

With Drönarstation getting a clear picture of the forest’s health is easier than ever

Drönarstation was founded by brothers Joel and Jim Olofsson. Their technology requires neither prior knowledge nor a drone licence, making it easy to use even for those without technical experience. With a simple press of a button, the drone automatically takes off from its portable charging station, flies over the area you want to inspect and analyses the images instantly. It then complies a map with GPS coordinates of dead and fallen trees – ready to use immediately.

Quick and easy

Närbild på Drönarstations drönare.

Joel and Jim have developed the system themselves, based on multiple patents, with the goal of simplifying forest management. Their aim has been to create a smooth and precise tool suitable for both large and small forest owners.

Instead of spending time searching for problems, we can now focus on solving them.

Jim Olofsson

The system offers high precision and can analyse up to 200 trees per second, allowing it to map 50 hectares of forest in just 25 minutes. It delivers fully analysed images with GPS coordinates of damaged and fallen trees, providing a detailed overview for planning and follow-up. Additionally, it serves as an efficient communication tool, enabling users to measure, mark and comment on map images. The images can easily be saved or shared as a PDF for further use.

The future of Forest Management

By automating forest monitoring and analysis, Drönarstation AB makes it easier to identify problems in time, saving both money and resources.

For many forest owners, forestry is more than just management – it is about preserving a legacy to future generations.

Joel Olofsson

Finalist for "Young Idea of the Year 2025"

Drönarstation AB has not only sparked the interest among forest owners – they have also gained national recognition. January 22, they participated in one of the qualifiers for Företagarnas “Young Idea of the Year 2025”, where some of southern Sweden’s most promising entrepreneurs pitched their ideas. Drönarstation was one of three finalists to secure a spot in the grand final in Gothenburg where they will compete for a grant of 250,000 SEK and the opportunity to take their idea to the next level.

Photo: Företagarna

Part of the Incubator Program

Drönarstation AB has been part of Science Parks Incubator Program since autumn 2023, where innovative companies receive support to develop and commercialise their business ideas.

– Through the incubator, we have received invaluable support in packaging our ideas in a way that others easily can understand. We’ve greatly improved how we communicate about our company, the problem we’re solving, and the market – something that has been a huge advantage in discussions with external parties, Jim and Joel says.

Through business development, networking and funding opportunities, Science Park supports entrepreneurs in growing their businesses and creating sustainable solutions for the future.