The Ethical Implications of Robot-Assisted Wood Removal

We’ve all heard of Smoky the Bear, but have you ever heard of hand thinning? It’s a labor-intensive process aimed at improving forest health and reducing fire risk by selectively removing trees in densely populated areas. How does it work? Trained crews manually cut down smaller or less desirable trees with tools like chainsaws and axes, then pile them up to be chipped or burned [1, 3]. Not only does thinning reduce inter-tree competition, the risk of disease-spreading, and insect infestations, but it also makes the landscape more resilient to future wildfires, limiting any extreme fire behavior [1, 2]. Pretty cool, right?

Figure 1. Hand thinning crew in Oregon. Photo by Tracy Robillard.

Although our robot is intended to reduce the amount of physical labor these workers have to do, there are several questions about its ethical implications we have been keeping in mind throughout the project:

• Could alleviating workers’ physical labor also mean reducing their work hours and, consequently, paychecks?

  
  

• Are we considering the environmental impact of using non-eco-friendly materials, such as those required for our robot’s battery-powered system?

  
  

• On a more practical note, what happens if technical issues arise—would they create more frustration and work, ultimately defeating the robot’s purpose? How much would the workers need to rely on the robot’s manufacturer for support?

  
  

• Is the cost of developing this technology justified by its potential benefits? Will forestry workers actually find our robot useful, and could our project’s follow-me technology have other applications that make it highly valuable in the long run?

  
  

• Are there ethical considerations we need to be aware of when it comes to Indigenous stakeholders?

Figure 2. Our firefighting robot in a grassy field.

In today’s world, ethically responsible research requires meaningful community engagement, and that has been important for our team from the get-go. Now that we have a prototype, we plan on learning from the experiences of thinning crews through interviews, consulting with forestry professionals, and incorporating Indigenous and local ecological knowledge. This engagement should not just be a checkbox for funding purposes, but a genuine effort to link the scientific framework with our broader community. By involving stakeholders who work directly in the field—such as those who practice hand thinning or cultural and controlled burning, including Indigenous community members—we can ensure the project stays relevant, grounded in real-world needs, and guided by the people it aims to support. 

We believe it’s essential to consider the ethical concerns around forestry workers’ job security, our technology’s environmental and user impact, its cost-effectiveness, and potential real-world applications at every stage of the research process. Based on the needs and values of the people and environments our robot is intended to serve, we look forward to guiding the project to better reflect these ethical priorities.

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Sources:

1. Herron, L. (2024). Forest thinning projects underway at Lake Tahoe. Living with Fire Tahoe. https://www.tahoelivingwithfire.com/press-releases/forest-thinning-projects-underway-at-lake-tahoe/

   
   

2. Author. (2021). Types of forest treatments. Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative. https://nocofireshed.org/forest-treatments/

   
   

3. Author. (2021). Fuels reduction guide. Cal Fire. Fuels Reduction Guide - Final 2021