In this project, we created a new type of (re)forestation platform called Forest Maker. It consists of a highly automated machine combining several silviculture stages into one. This can lower the costs of tree planting up to 5-10x compared to the state of the art, digitize forests into an individual tree level and create a digital twin of the forest, increase worker safety (less tripping, heat, and animal hazards), planting quality and tree survival rates, enable planting where or when it wasn’t earlier possible (too dry, hard or dangerous landscape, etc), reduce erosion and enable planting of a multitude of species.
All these can lead to a systematic change in silviculture and in climate change. Our Forest Maker will provide the most cost-efficient way to bind carbon. For example, to plant a trillion trees that would be roughly equivalent to two-thirds of all human-made emissions would cost 50-100 billion with Forestmaker. It’s a significant amount of money, but still minuscule compared to what should be available for mitigating climate change. In addition to the costs, Forest Maker will bring full transparency into operations, enabling easier operations and traceability, which in turn can help fund those reforestation actions.
In practice, in this project, we have engineered, manufactured, and tested a machine that can execute all these actions. We have made it to be operated on top of a common, commercially available forwarder that is designed to travel in the ground and carry heavy loads. Our Forest Maker is highly automated and connected to the cloud and can be operated by only one person. We tested it in close cooperation with players in the forestry market to gain valuable knowledge on top of the knowledge we have acquired during our almost two decades of forestry machinery manufacture and global operations. In addition, through this project, we have further enhanced our operational capabilities across all corporate functions, ensuring we are well-prepared to meet the growing demand of the market.
