In 2023, Metsä Group received its first harvesters equipped with precision positioning. The system in the harvesters can be configured to provide alerts on various things such as estate boundaries or buffer zones. The positioning allows the machine operator to monitor that the harvester head does not go over the property boundary, for example. This considerably reduces the risk of logging being carried out on the wrong estate due to inaccurate location data.
Precision positioning makes the harvester operator's work more efficient, as they no longer need to leave the cabin to check the location of the estate boundary. Positioning also saves the time of Metsä Group's personnel because it eliminates the need to mark unclear estate or site boundaries with flagging tape.
Because the location of the boom is known precisely, so is the location of the felled logs, and this information is transferred to the forwarder collecting the logs. The logs can thus be found even under the snow in winter. The system also helps mark the locations of retention tree groups and high biodiversity stumps on the map.
Satellite positioning has long been used in forestry, but new technology has further improved its accuracy. Metsä Group will require all its contractors to use position tracking in harvesters as soon as manufacturers make the system available for forestry machines.
The Asta application follows the progress of soil preparation in real time
Jointly developed by Metsä Group and Risutec, a Finnish forestry machinery manufacturer, the Asta application enables the machine operator preparing the soil to follow the progress of their work in real time. The GPS sensor installed in the excavator boom records the location of each mound created, i.e. seedlings’ planting locations or the harrowing track, and the operator can monitor the soil preparation density via a tablet or mobile phone.
Ideally, the result should be as even as possible, but in practice, the machine operator often has to modify the density in different parts of the site. The Asta app allows machine operators to keep track of soil preparation and adjust it as required. Before the introduction of Asta, the machine operator measured sample plots in the prepared area.
Because the exact number of planting spots is known after soil preparation, it is easy to order the right number of seedlings. This brings savings to the regeneration chain and makes seedling distribution easier.
If Asta has been used in soil preparation, the forest owner can also check the results. In the Metsäverkko service, the forest owner can see the mounds created during soil preparation on the digital map layer.