An annual main event of the Finnish forest sector, Metsäpäivät 2025, will be held for the 100th time on October 22–23 at Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, celebrating the centennial year of the event. Researchers from the UNITE Flagship will present their latest findings on Thursday, October 23, across three themed stages.
Thursday, October 23, 13:00–13:25 | Theme Stage 1:
OPPORTUNITIES OF INDIVIDUAL TREE DETECTION IN FORESTRY – WHERE ARE WE NOW?
Individual tree detection enables increasingly precise forest information, forming the basis for more efficient forest management and better consideration of biodiversity. What is the current state of research and practical applications, such as harvester data and forest databases such as Metsakanta demonstration? What can we expect next?
Senior Research Scientist Heikki Hyyti (Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, FGI at the National Land Survey of Finland) and University Researcher Ville Kankare (University of Turku) approach the topic from technical and forest science perspectives. Their presentation highlights how combining technologies can make almost anything possible. Please note: Presentation will be in Finnish!
Thursday, October 23, 13:35–14:00 | Theme Stage 2:
ROADMAP TO FOREST MACHINE INFORMATION AND SENSOR TECHNOLOGY 2030
Explore the brand-new roadmap! The project Towards Climate-Resilient and Biodiverse Wood Harvesting through Sensor Technology and Accurate Geospatial Data envisions the use of forest machine information and sensor technology to measure and report biodiversity in managed forests, tree volume, tree locations, and carbon sequestration capacity. The work has been carried out by the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute (FGI) at the National Land Survey of Finland, University of Eastern Finland, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), and Ponsse Plc, as part of the Catch the carbon programme funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Senior Research Scientist Heikki Hyyti (FGI NLS) and Professor Kalle Kärhä (University of Eastern Finland) present the results. Please note: Presentation will be in Finnish!
Thursday, October 23, 14:10–14:35 | Theme Stage 3:
DESIGNING, EXPERIENCING AND IMAGINING ROBOTS FOR THE WILD
Robots are permeating numerous aspects of human life as they increasingly appear as companions to humans. In facilitating connection to nature and understanding ways to utilize robots to benefit humans, non-humans, and the environment, Oğuz ’Oz’ Buruk’s and Eshtiak Ahmed’s research spans co-designing robots for the wild, walking with robot companions, understanding users’ preferences on different interaction styles, and exploring playful activities to imagine forest-robot futures.
PhD, Assistant Professor of Gameful Experience Oğuz ’Oz’ Buruk (Tampere University) and Doctoral Researcher Eshtiak Ahmed (Tampere University) introduce their project and its findings (in English).
👉 Read more about Metsäpäivät 2025 and don’t forget to get your tickets!