Two of our postgraduate engineering students, Chris Erasmus and Yasmin de Raay, have been recognised for their innovative forestry projects, advancing to the international stage of the 2025 Blue Sky Young Researchers and Innovation competition. Their work focuses on sustainable forest management and improving crop yields through advanced technology.
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Original article titled “Stellenbosch Students Shine with Innovative Projects at International Competition” by Nothando Mthembu, published on 3 February 2025, on Good Things Guy. Read the original article here.
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Two Stellenbosch University engineering students, Yasmin de Raay and Chris Erasmus, have earned national recognition for their innovative forestry projects, advancing to the international stage of the 2025 Blue Sky Young Researchers and Innovation competition.
Their work, praised by the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA), focuses on enhancing sustainable forest management and improving crop yields through advanced technology.
Managed by the International Council of Forestry and Paper Associations (ICFPA), this competition seeks projects from researchers under 30 years of age who are working in forest-based science.
Innovative solutions in Agritech and Forestry
Both submissions focused on the monitoring of aspects of tree health, which plays a critical role in tree resilience and resource optimisation by using technology to capture and analyse data continuously and remotely.
Erasmus, who is completing a Master’s in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, developed a wireless dendrometer and environmental sensing system tailored for the forestry industry.
This solar-powered device tracks tree growth patterns, water dynamics, and environmental stressors such as temperature, humidity, and soil moisture with precision.
“Our dendrometer allows seamless, real-time monitoring of trees’ daily growth variations, using advanced technology to overcome the limitations of traditional analogue systems, which are prone to noise and interference,” notes Erasmus.
Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering, specialising in agritech, De Raay’s project introduces a mini rhizotron system designed to remotely monitor root growth and dynamics in forestry plantations.
Both projects offer cost-effective, low-maintenance solutions for continuous, real-time data collection, reducing the need for manual intervention and improving resource optimisation.
Advancing to international round of Young Researchers Awards
As first and second-place winners in the South African competition, Erasmus and De Raay were awarded R15,000 and R10,000, respectively.
They now look forward to the international phase of the competition, where their projects will now be judged against those from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. An international panel will select the top three global finalists, who will then present their projects at the ICFPA CEO Global Roundtable in May 2025 in New York.
“As a sector that has for decades centred around the renewability of wood, both of these projects offer significant value for forestry companies by enhancing sustainable forest management and improving crop yields,” says Jane Molony, PAMSA executive director.
“This in turn supports the sustainable supply of wood into pulp, paper, and sawn timber industries.”
Molony expressed his excitement about the pair’s ingenuity, which not only highlights South Africa’s scientific talent but also has the potential to make a meaningful impact in the sector.
