Tree seedlings can be planted efficiently with a machine

The story of Risutec from Nakki started with an insight. Bachelor of Commerce in Foreign Trade Just Time worked in a hardware store in the 2010s when a generational change occurred on his parents' farm in Nakkila.  

“When a generation changes, it is customary to cut down the forest first, and I bought a harvester for that. Before cutting down, I had to get rid of the huge clump of trees. That's when I got the idea for a clearing head that could be used to clear the forest first. That's how the company started,” Jussi Aikala says.  

Aikala made clearing heads for a couple of customers at a metal machine shop run by a friend, where he eventually ended up filling in for his friend during his vacation. Aikala stayed working at the machine shop for years. 

The workshop built the first excavator-mounted planting machine, a video of which was posted on YouTube. A South African man who saw the video contacted him and said he needed a similar device. He came to Finland to meet Aikala, and in three days a suitable planting head for eucalyptus was designed. 

Then a Brazilian man, whom Aikala traveled to Brazil to meet, ended up watching the video. There seemed to be a demand abroad for smart tree planting machines. 

Forest maker 

Risutec's main products are planting machines and the Risutec Asta GPS documentation system. Asta shows the locations of tillage sites, areas, numbers of plants and planting densities.  

Risutec designs and assembles the equipment itself, but subcontracts the metal parts to Finnish companies. The hydraulics and electronics are made in-house.  

Currently, 90 percent of Risutec's sales come from exports. There are two main lines of planters: excavator-based equipment and, as a new product, tractor-based equipment.  

The largest excavator-based device can handle 720 seedlings. Machines that can access slopes also operate in eucalyptus regions in South America, Africa and Australia. 

As forestry approaches more arable farming, such as in the vast flatlands of South America, an excavator is a bit slow for afforestation. From this starting point, the Forest Maker was developed, which can be mounted on any forwarder.  

The device can hold 3 seedlings, and is used to till the soil, apply fertilizer, plant the seedlings, and water the seedlings. Under field conditions, a hectare can be planted in an hour.  

Forest Maker has EU funding and is still waiting for commercialization.  

Another new Risutec machine, the MG Combi, was designed together with Metsä Group for its needs. It is a tiller mounted behind a forwarder. After collecting the cuttings, the soil is tilled, eliminating the need for a separate tiller. 

“We will continue to invest in Forest Maker and MG Combi, which are needed in large afforestation areas.” 

Potpipes Finland 

There are about ten planting machines in Finland. The mechanization of forest planting has been very sticky here. Traditions are strict, and the desire is to push the tree seedlings into the ground persistently with potting pipes.  

"The optimal size for mechanized planting is 3–4 hectares, so the machines do not need to be moved during the day. The average planting speed is approximately 220 seedlings per hour. The machine prepares the soil, makes a planting mound and plants the seedlings without complaining of fatigue after the first thousand seedlings," says Jussi Aikala.