Quality, price and timetable guarantee for forest regeneration
Metsä Group will issue a quality guarantee for seedlings and planting work that is valid until the end of June in the year immediately following the delivery. This includes supplementary cultivation at Metsä Group’s expense if more than 10 per cent of the seedlings planted in the forest district have been destroyed as a result of defects that are traceable to the nursery, or as a result of incorrect planting by Metsä Group or its subcontractor.
The guarantee also covers frost damage resulting from autumn planting carried out by Metsä Group. The guarantee does not cover damage caused by natural disasters or any other damage to seedlings, insofar as it is not caused by defects traceable to the nursery or by incorrect planting. The unit prices for forest regeneration (preparation €/ha, planting/sowing €/ha, seedlings €/unit, seeds €/unit) are fixed and do not change based on the period of implementation.
We also give a timetable guarantee. In the case of regeneration felling that is carried out between 1 January and 31 August, soil preparation and planting will be carried out by mid-July of the next calendar year. In the case of regeneration felling that is carried out between 1 September and 31 December, soil preparation and planting will be carried out by the end of June of the year after the following calendar year.
Metsä Group supplies pine, spruce and silver birch seedlings bred from the best available seeds. In southern and central Finland, we use seed material from 1.5 generation seed orchards, also known as elite seeds. In northern Finland, we also use seed material collected from forests, because seed material from seed orchards is not currently available everywhere.
Thanks to elite seeds:
• Tree growth increases by 25–30 per cent compared to seed material collected from forests
• The seedling stand grows more evenly
• The trees are of a higher quality thanks to smaller branches
The most suitable soil preparation method, tree species and seedling type are selected, based on the fertility of the growing area and the goals of the forest owner. Metsä Group continues to lead the way in forest regeneration. Our forest specialists have the best knowledge for choosing the right soil preparation method, tree species and type of seedling.
Quality and timetable guarantee for thinning
Thinning of seedling stands is carried out in accordance with Finnish best practises for sustainable forest management. The density of the stands remaining after thinning must not be more than 20 per cent above the target density. If the density of the remaining stands exceeds this upper limit, Metsä Group will carry out the repair work free of charge.
The timetable for tending seedling stands is set out in the order agreement within an accuracy of one year. If delivery is delayed for reasons solely attributed to Metsä Group, the forest owner is entitled to a penalty in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
The pricing of thinning is transparent, based on matrix pricing, which means that the price is determined based on the number and diameter of the trees felled. An agreement on matrix pricing is concluded at the order stage, prior to implementation.
Quality control
Quality control plays a key role in all work carried out by Metsä Group.
Quality control is based on the self-monitoring of entrepreneurs and on quality assurance. Quality assurance provides immediate feedback to the person who carried out the work and helps to correct any deficiencies during it.
This ensures excellent quality management for services as an inherent part of service production and operational development. Quality management emphasises target setting and monitoring.
Most of the excavators used by Metsä Group’s contractors are equipped with the Asta application, which ensures that the location of every new mound in the regeneration area is documented. Accurate information about the surface area of prepared land and the number of new mounds helps ensure the correct density of planting spots so that the right number of seedlings can be delivered to the site.
The surface area, measured by a GPS sensor attached to the boom of the excavator, serves as the basis for prices and invoicing for the forest owner. As a forest owner, you will receive the quality reports for felling and forest management work in the Metsäverkko service. You will receive the same information as Metsä Group about the entrepreneurs’ self-monitoring reports.
In addition to the self-monitoring performed by the entrepreneurs, Metsä Group’s employees carry out sampling-based quality assurance for individual entrepreneurs. As part of quality assurance and the assessment of the suitability of quality assurance methods, external quality audits are commissioned regularly. They include an inventory and analysis of the quality of forest management based on the type of work. The sites assessed are chosen randomly from forest management work carried out by Metsä Group.