Metsa group announces collaboration with CollectiveCrunch

The ground-breaking collaboration will enable Metsä Group to utilise a powerful AI-based solution that detects, quantifies, and monitors storm and pest damages. With CollectiveCrunch, Metsä Group can leverage continuous monitoring to detect areas that have been affected and take necessary measures quickly and precisely.

The platform locates storm damages promptly while also providing early detection of pests such as bark beetles and preventing the spread – bringing significant cost savings for forest owners and helping to ensure the vitality of forests.

“When it comes to forest damages, quick and precise measurements are vital,” said Olli Leino, director of digitalisation from Metsä Group. “The collaboration with CollectiveCrunch enables us to serve our customers better by anticipating potential damage areas and taking essential measures in the case of something like a significant weather event.

“Accurate, timely data allows us not only to react rapidly, but to prepare potential actions to repair forest damages,” continued Mr Leino. “The data is updated regularly during the growing season, which helps us to manage forests better. However, in the event of something like severe storm damage, we can get data promptly on an on-demand basis, which helps us in operational planning and offers exceptional value to our customers.”

CollectiveCrunch is the global leader of AI modelling in forestry, utilising various data sources to provide accurate spatial insights and analysis. Multi-layer data collected from various sources is processed with machine learning models.

“The analysis is based on petabytes of processed data and advanced cloud-based processing routines,” said CollectiveCrunch co-founder Jarkko Lipponen. “By combining data sets and processing them with our sophisticated machine learning models, we are able to produce near real-time monitoring data that can be used to take forest management planning to a whole new level.

“Up-to-date data is at the very core of sustainable forest management. Being able to indicate any relevant change in a timely manner is vital, and technology plays a significant role in this. We are delighted that Metsä Group selected CollectiveCrunch as its partner to develop these pioneering services in the forest sector.”

CollectiveCrunch has been developing modern AI-based technologies for the forest sector since 2016. Continuous monitoring is an essential part of understanding the changes in the sensitive ecosystem of forests and providing visibility into biodiversity and the changes in the forest carbon storages near real-time.