Developing a digital tool for forestry planning

Continuous cover forestry requires more planning than traditional clear-cut felling, but Katam’s technology can help you do this work.

Planning for continuous cover forestry takes longer because the transport roads must be planned extremely carefully. Otherwise, there is a risk of blockages in waterways or damage to the roots of the unfelled trees.

Having the machines going into the forest several times quickly inflates the budget. Furthermore, many people think they will need to use smaller machines, but this is not the case. Entrepreneurs working with continuous cover forestry need to get good maps and data in order to make the most of their time and budget, by managing the selective cut in a faster way.

By using drone images, Katam’s technology can tell foresters which trees are the tallest and most suitable for felling. Forestry consultant Magnus Strandberg has worked with Katam to produce a map that shows the number of trees and their height.

Another of Katam’s solutions can be used to make measurements at ground level, to get tree diameters. For example, if a forester wants to select trees with a certain minimum diameter.

The first planning normally takes longer. “But then you have the road, and it can be easier to do the next felling without as much planning”, says Magnus Strandberg.

Read the whole article here. (In Swedish)