The Precision Silviculture Programme continues to support a number of final-year engineering student projects at The University of Canterbury, helping turn innovative ideas into practical solutions for the forestry sector. One of the most promising initiatives is the Bareroot Lifter Project, which has been under development for the last few years.

The project aims to create a commercially viable machine capable of rapidly lifting bareroot seedlings in the nursery, reducing labour demands while improving efficiency. Once lifted, seedlings can be transported for grading and processing, with future versions potentially combining lifting and automated grading into a single integrated system. 

Interest in the technology extends beyond New Zealand. Bareroot nursery operators in North America face similar challenges and have expressed strong interest in mechanised lifting solutions, highlighting the potential for wider industry adoption as the technology matures.

Click to see their final year project poster to check out what they achieved this year.