Digital Perception Technology Enabling Future Forestry
The forestry sector is standing before unprecedented challenges in adapting to increased demand for sustainable raw materials, carbon storage, biodiversity conservation and a shortage of highly skilled machine operators. Digital tools, precision forestry and automation will play a crucial role in meeting these challenges. NFA is in the business of creating such tools. We are starting out with a sensor based operator support system for forest harvesting machines.
AI-powered Operator Support
The NFA operator support system continuously detects, positions, measures and classifies all trees around the machine. It also measures the position and orientation of the machine and harvester head with cm-accuracy. Using this information, the system provides:
Real-time feedback to the operator
A full before/after inventory (of individual trees) and report
Together, 1 and 2 enable systematic implementation of best practice forest management strategies, full transparency and quality assurance of the harvesting operation. The system is fully stand-alone, and can be retro-fitted to any machine.
Operator Perspective
In the past year, we have done 1000+ hours of user testing with operators from 5 different organizations in Sweden and Canada. This is what they tell us:
The system makes it easy to reach harvest specifications
Less uncertainty and overall cognitive load
Automatic follow-up measurements saves time
Easier/quicker for new operators to learn the craft and for experienced operators to adjust to new specifications when moving to a new site
From a subcontractor or fleet operator perspective, this translates to cost efficient, high quality harvesting with any forest management strategy.
Forest Owner Perspective
The combination of digital operator support and high resolution follow-up report ensures quality assured precision harvesting:
No risk of costly systematic errors, for example in remaining volume, lane width or lane distance
Optimal management on tree level rather than hectare level.
Enables the forest owner to implement any best practice forest management strategy.
