Erik Arvidsson, Anders Rowell, Linnea Hansson, Håkan Lideskog, Mikael Rönnqvist. (2026). Comparison of manual and automated coverage path planning for mechanized forest regeneration. Silva Fennica vol. 60 no. 1 article id 25018. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.25018

Keywords: site preparation; planting; mechanization; automation; precision forestry; routing

Highlights: Automated coverage path planners TerraTrail and Pathfinder outperform manual operators driving the PlantMax planting machine in coverage across all test sites; Pathfinder demonstrated the shortest path lengths, especially in constrained environments, with up to 14% shorter paths compared to manual planning; The study emphasizes the potential of autonomous path planning systems to reduce labor dependency, enhance sustainability, and improve the efficiency of forest regeneration operations; The automated planners effectively accounted for vehicle constraints such as terrain and soil moisture conditions, optimizing routes for more efficient regeneration.

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In Finland and Scandinavia, even-aged forest management predominates, often including mechanical site preparation and manual planting. Growing labor shortages and increased demand for sustainability have driven interest in mechanized and autonomous planting systems. This study evaluates two automated Coverage Path Planners (CPP), Pathfinder and TerraTrail, developed to optimize planting routes for mechanized forest regeneration. Their performance is compared to the routes of the manually operated mechanized planting machine, PlantMax. Three operational sites in Sweden, representing varied terrain and hydrological conditions are evaluated. The evaluation focuses on coverage, Euclidean and Dubins path lengths. Both CPPs incorporate Digital Elevation Models (DEM), Depth-to-Water (DTW) maps and vehicle-specific kinematics to generate planting routes. Two scenarios are evaluated: one where the CPPs neglect the DTW map, and another where the CPPs are constrained to avoid DTW values below 0.3 m. Results show that automated CPPs achieve 15–19% higher coverage than manual planning on average. Pathfinder showed similar normalized path lengths in an unconstrained scenario as the manual operator, but 14% shorter in the constrained environment. TerraTrail shows 7% longer normalized path lengths in an unconstrained scenario, while the constrained scenario shows similar path lengths as the manual operator. These findings emphasize the potential of deploying automated CPP systems to enhance precision, sustainability, and labor efficiency of silvicultural operations. The CPPs support both autonomous deployment and decision support tool for operators. Further refinement, including combining both CPPs to leverage the best functions of each, along with reversible path planning, could enhance their value in forestry practices.

Arvidsson, Luleå University of Technology (LTU), SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7679-0203 E-mail: erik.arvidsson@ltu.se
Rowell, Forestry Research Institute of Sweden (Skogforsk), Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 83 Uppsala, Sweden https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2810-1434 E-mail: anders.rowell@skogforsk.se
Hansson, Forestry Research Institute of Sweden (Skogforsk), Uppsala Science Park, SE-751 83 Uppsala, Sweden https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9788-1734 E-mail: linnea.hansson@skogforsk.se
Lideskog, Luleå University of Technology (LTU), SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9862-828X E-mail: hakan.lideskog@ltu.se
Rönnqvist, Université Laval, 1065, avenue de la Médecine, Local 1504, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1940-6129 E-mail: mikael.ronnqvist@gmc.ulaval.ca

article id 25001, category Research article

Katri Rusanen, Teppo Hujala, Jouni Pykäläinen. (2026). “We are already in the frontline” – Sustainable value creation and entrepreneurial orientation in forest-based small and medium-sized enterprises. Silva Fennica vol. 60 no. 1 article id 25001. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.25001

Keywords: forest-based sector; sustainability transition; sustainable business model; sustainable entrepreneurship; value creation

Highlights: Sustainability transitions call for new types of businesses and value creation; Sustainability-oriented forest-based SMEs providing various services were studied; Operating environment and entrepreneurial orientation of companies shape how sustainable value is created with and for stakeholders; There is resistance from the operating environment towards sustainability-oriented businesses; System-level changes and sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship are interconnected and support each other.

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Sustainability challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss have a great impact on the operating environment of companies. Business actors have increasingly sought answers to these challenges. A range of innovations, technologies and business models have been developed. Little is however known about those companies and entrepreneurs that strive for solving sustainability challenges. Sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship has interested researchers for a while. Nevertheless, studies have not thoroughly focused on forest-based services and related business models and value creation. This multiple case study investigates how the operating environment and entrepreneurial orientation are entailed in sustainability-pursuant value creation. We interviewed nine sustainability-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises providing forest-based services. The results indicate that the companies feature several entrepreneurial capabilities that enable them creating sustainable value. They are positively oriented towards future and consider their business as a solution to focal sustainability challenges. The companies’ operating environment can support the emergence and long-term development of sustainability-oriented businesses and innovations, and hence collaboration with stakeholders is essential for sustainable value creation. However, the established forest-based sector and existing support system have created tensions for the development of the sustainability-oriented businesses. The companies strive actively for making an impact on their operating environment to create sustainable value with and for their stakeholders. This study advances empirical research on sustainable value creation and entrepreneurship. Overall, this paper suggests that sustainability-oriented entrepreneurs need more collaboration and support for scaling up the solving of sustainability challenges.

Rusanen, School of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1705-5561 E-mail: katri.rusanen@uef.fi
Hujala, School of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7905-7602 E-mail: teppo.hujala@uef.fi
Pykäläinen, School of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3427-9954 E-mail: jouni.pykalainen@uef.fi

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