PlantMax-A Treevolution for a Greener Future

ByForest Machine Magazine

29 January, 2025
Plantmax

A revolutionary shift—PlantMax takes tree plantation into a new era

With the capacity to plant 3,000 seedlings per hour, Swedish PlantMax is a veritable game-changer. Full order books tell us that this multifunctional planting machine marks the beginning of a revolutionary shift. “PlantMax sets a new standard in mechanized planting,” said Magnus Sandström, CEO of Plantma Forestry.

Tree planting is one of the few operations in the forestry industry that has remained primarily reliant on manual labor, every seedling planted by hand. Several machines have been developed over the
years intending to mechanize planting, but none have yet achieved the level of quality and effectiveness needed to change the game. Not until now.

The revolutionary shift is being led by Swedish company Plantma Forestry and their multifunctional game-changer PlantMax. Launched in 2022, PlantMax quickly started to gain a reputation for its
unprecedented effectiveness. Under ideal conditions, PlantMax has the capacity to plant up to 3,000 seedlings per hour. However, several factors affect the planting tempo, such as the distance between
the seedlings, the size and shape of the plantation area as well as structure of the terrain.

“But even if that top capacity drops to 2,700–2,800 seedlings per hour under more realistic conditions, those figures still far exceed all other competition—manual planting as well as the few other mechanized planting solutions available on the market,” said Magnus Sandström, CEO of Plantma Forestry. “Especially considering that, in addition to planting, it also prepares the ground at the same time—either by scarifying and compacting or by subsoiling. When discussing PlantMax’s productivity, this should always be taken into account.”

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All over the world
PlantMax units are now operating in Sweden, Brazil, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and full order books for the coming year tells us that this multifunctional planting machine marks the beginning of a new era in tree planting.

“The difficulty of finding skilled labor for manual planting is one major factor that drives the shift
towards mechanized planting,” said Magnus Sandström.
Australian company Form Forests acquired their first PlantMax last year, and director Darryl
Outhwaite was immediately impressed by its performance.
“Thanks to its simultaneous ground preparation and ability to plant deeply, we were able to start the planting season significantly earlier than would have been possible with traditional planting methods,” said Darryl Outhwaite.

And Darryl Outhwaite found more reasons to be impressed. In the first season with their new
PlantMax, the Australian company planted 1.6 million seedlings in just three months.
“We now have a robust tool to mitigate climate risk by planting rapidly and to the highest quality,”

Planting quality is on a par with manual planting
The planting quality is continuously monitored:

Is the seedling well-planted and properly compacted?
Is it standing upright?

Has the specified target for the number of seedlings per hectare been met?

“These follow-ups show that—with a properly adjusted and well-maintained machine—we usually achieve 90 per cent planting quality or higher across all markets, which is on par with manual planting,” said Magnus Sandström.

As mentioned earlier, PlantMax prepares the ground to ensure optimal growth conditions and can be
customized with either an intelligent disc scarifier or a subsoiler. The PlantMax scarifier, sold separately under the name MidiFlex, has a very low impact on the ground due to its adjustable ground pressure and ability to work intermittently.

The subsoiler, a new in-house product, was introduced last year in response to strong demand from the South American market. Ground preparation and planting are completed in a single pass, with the option to add fertilization and pesticide applications to this loop.
“We call it a reforester, since it’s much more than just a planting machine,” said Magnus Sandström.
Long-term survival is somewhat difficult to evaluate—both for manual and mechanized planting— since many seedlings disappear due to reasons entirely unrelated to planting quality. But an upcoming study examining survival rate a few months after planting, conducted by the Latvian State Forestry Institute following a PlantMax demonstration in the Baltics, suggests that the survival rate under different growing conditions is approximately 90 per cent, which are excellent figures in North European conditions. In other parts of the world, with less challenging conditions, those numbers would most likely be even higher.

“The possibilities are endless”
Before a seedling is planted, the machine evaluates the ground to ensure it is suitable for planting. If the ground is too wet or planting is hindered by a rock or some other obstacle, the planting arm immediately halts and initiates a new planting cycle. And whenever one planting cycle is omitted, the machine immediately recalculates the distance between the following seedlings to minimize any alterations to the original planting plan.
“PlantMax really sets a new standard in mechanized planting,” said Magnus Sandström.
With PlantMax Live Data, it is possible to remotely monitor its performance in real-time. PlantMax also collects and stores all data from its operations—crucial for an industry that is increasingly relying on digital data and automated processes. This data can for example provide information about ground conditions and the exact positions of every planted seedling
“The possibilities are endless, and we are now trying to determine exactly what kind of information the industry needs,” said Magnus Sandström.

Customization for various conditions
The PlantMax unit is mounted on a forwarder and is compatible with many different makes and models. The unit is operated by two people: the driver sits in the front cab and is responsible for maneuvering the forwarder, while in the rear cab—the planting cab—an operator oversees the work of the planting machine and feeds it with seedlings.
“PlantMax can carry up to 20,000 seedlings, making it possible to work a whole day without reloading. This simplifies logistics and means fewer stops during work,” said Magnus Sandström.

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