Södra and Nordic Forestry Automation AB have signed a letter of intent to roll out operator support to carry out forest management. Cloud services are also linked to the system, which means that the data collected for each individual tree can be saved for future planning and analysis.
Dec 12, 2024
Södra and Nordic Forestry Automation AB have signed a letter of intent to roll out operator support for thinning carried out under Södra’s supervision.
The system will also be able to collect data for each individual tree for future planning and analysis. NFA’s operator support will be installed in harvesters operated by Södra and the goal is to commence roll out and installations in the second half of 2025.
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The operator support provides the potential for local adaptation in the forest, making it easier to carry out forest management correctly, thus promoting growth and increased profitability, while providing valuable and effective protection for natural and cultural heritage sites. Thinning a forest involves constant decision-making for the operator about which, and how many, trees to harvest in order to best promote the various values of the forest. This is important for the long-term development of forests, but is usually done manually at present, based on the experience of the individual operator.
Cloud services are also linked to the system, which means that the data collected for each individual tree can be saved for future planning and analysis. The data collected for the trees is delivered to the forest owner so that the thinning operation has been optimised according to the local growing power in the stand. This provides greater transparency, quality assurance of the harvesting and new opportunities for forest owners to use alternative management methods.
Lars Svensson, CEO, Nordic Forestry Automation, said, ‘‘Södra has been one of our main partners in the development of our technology from the start. With good advice and clear requirements, they have helped us develop as a company. The fact that we’ve now come so far that we can set a launch date for our first product is an important milestone for the company and proof that we are well on our way to realising our vision of helping machine operators do a good job every time and create strong and vigorous forests.”
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Magnus Petersson, Head of Contractor and Technology Development at Södra, added, ‘‘More innovation is needed in forestry and NFA shows clearly that new technologies can make a difference and be valuable for forest estates. A major advantage is the breadth of the innovation. It gives us thinning support, while the data collected can form the basis for future planning and decisions. This is a good example of Södra joining forces to add value for forest estates.”
