Dothan, Ala. (WDNews) — A new wave of forestry technology is taking shape in Southeast Alabama as the Alabama Forestry Accelerator highlights startups focused on modernizing the industry.
According to program officials, one of the featured companies, TreeTracker (Starkville, Miss.), offers a mobile and web-based platform designed to simplify forest management. The system replaces “five to seven fragmented tools” often used for GPS navigation, project tracking, data collection and collaboration, helping foresters, landowners and contractors improve efficiency and decision-making.
The accelerator is a partnership between gener8tor and Grow Southeast Alabama, representing 11 counties across the Wiregrass and Southeast Alabama region. It is hosted at the Wiregrass Innovation Center in partnership with HudsonAlpha Wiregrass.
According to state leaders, forestry and wood products are a key focus under Alabama’s CatALyst economic development plan, highlighting the industry’s role in long-term growth.
“Alabama already has the industry strength to lead in forestry innovation, and this program is about putting that advantage to work,” said Justise Black, gener8tor’s program manager for the accelerator. “By connecting these founders with landowners, operators and industry leaders across the 11 counties in the Wiregrass and Southeast Alabama region, we’re helping them refine and scale solutions in real forestry environments while strengthening an industry critical to the state’s economy.”
The program is also guided by a Forestry Tech Advisory Board made up of industry leaders and regional experts.
“These companies understand that effective forestry innovation starts with the people who work the land every day,” said Al Jones, senior economic development representative at the Alabama Forestry Commission. “It’s been encouraging to see their willingness to engage with industry experts and build solutions that are practical, scalable and grounded in real-world forestry operations.”
The program will wrap up with a public showcase set for April 28 at 5 p.m. at the Wiregrass Innovation Center. Officials say the event is free and open to the public, with attendees encouraged to RSVP in advance.
Applications for the fall cohort are expected to open in the coming weeks. For more information, those interested can contact program manager Justise Black at gener8tor.
