Komatsu Forest HQ in Sweden have recently launched the ¨Smart Forestry: Wildfire¨ campaign, seeking to show the power of technology when serving to environmental protection. Consisting on an Animation Short Movie set in Tenerife’s Teide National Park (Canary Islands, Spain), the brand aims to show how innovation can contribute to fire prevention and forest ecosystems conservation.
As Komatsu Forest dealership for Spain, HITRAF’s contribution was key in the designing of this campaign, in both technical and environmental assesing as well as in what it comes to the selling and delivery of the Komatsu forestry machines, which were the campaign’s main characters.
A team work with a purpose
¨It was very exciting that Komatsu counted on us from the beginning for such an special project¨, says Ana Sánchez, HITRAF’s Marketing and Communications Director and Komatsu Assesor at this specific campaign. ¨We got involved into a very different process to any of our daily basis work, by not only providing technical advice but also contributing with our own creativity as well as our sensitivity towards the environment¨.
DHITRAF team’s contribution focused in sharing detailed data on the Teide’s ecosystem, one of Spain’s top protected natural areas, and more specifically about Tenerife’s 2023 Great Fire which became the animation’s main inspiration. This fire was the most dramatic one registered in the last 40 years in the Canary Islands, devasteting 15.000 hectares and affecting various municipalities from both North and South of Tenerife island. ¨We wanted them to understand how unique that ecosystem was and what were the forestry machine’s main jobs there: machines were used for maintenance and forestry clearance, they do a fantastic job which is basic for the protection of the ecosystems¨, according to Ana.
Once the fire was controlled, Komatsu Harvesters and Forwarders begun working in the terrain, cleaning all burnt wood, removing any danger in the area, and restouring forestry pathways. ¨Their capability to move accurately in steep and difficult terrains was key in order to recover affected areas causing no damage to the enviroment¨, she explains.
In the Animation Short Movie the Canary Pine becomes the main character. ¨The Canary Pine is an amazing species, capable of sprouting once again after a fire. Komatsu wanted to praise this pine as a symbol of endurance which connects very closely with the performance of both our machines and their operators¨.
HITRAF, experts in sustainable forestry solutions
For more than two decades, HITRAF has led in Spain the development of technical solutions for forest protection and forestry clearance. ¨We have designed and manufactured our own equipment such as our clearing and forestry equipment which are well recognized today within our industry¨, Ana points out. Our professional background and expertise were key for Komatsu trusting us as their assesor in this project.
Cooperation with the Creative and Marketing Team in Komatsu Forest Sweden, required a constant feedback among the two teams. ¨We had the chance to go throughout all the creative process, not just by connecting both Komatsu and the Public Company owning the Komatsu machines, but also contributing with our own country’s particular cultural and environmental approach to the forest and how it should be protected¨.
Technology with responsibility
According to Ana, this campaign speaks about what defines both Komatsu and HITRAF, the balancing between power, innovation and environment responsibility. ¨Our machines are not just highly productive, but also responsible with the environment. They integrate new technologies that reduce their emissions and improve a more efficient use of ressources. That is the path we believe forestryindustry should move towards¨, she notes.
Campaigns such as ¨Smart Forestry: Wildfire¨ highlight that fire fighting begins much long before than flames occur, that is by performing forest prevention, cleaning and maintenance. Bearing all this in mind, throughout more than two decades of partnership Komatsu and HITRAF renew their commitment in the use of technology to protect the forests and pevent fires from happening and guarantee a more sustainable future fior us all.