UPM-Biofore-Magazine-2-2017-ENG

(Right) Mari Nykänen monitors the irrigation of spruce seedlings. (Below) Jutaphak Jarotram checks the spruce seedlings.

“Luckily we have a good number of eyes on the plants,” says Immonen with a laugh. From manual to automated packing Tuija Räisänen , Jutaphak Jarotram and Mikael Smolander are found busily packing in the middle of the seedling lots. They are surrounded by trays and boxes with a packing machine in the centre. Jarotram inspects the seedlings one by one, removing any weeds and weak seedlings. A good seedling has a well- formed top, no forks in the trunk, no signs of the bishop bug and a strong root ball. The label of origin peeking from behind the seedling row reveals that the three are working on the offspring of a forest in Pohja, Southern Finland. After quality controls, Räisänen removes the seedlings from the tray and places them in a box. The work seems light, like flipping cakes from a mould to the serving dish. I want to give it a try. But, ohmy – one tray weighs six kilograms! In a month, the staff lift and carry 30 tonnes of seedlings. Once the new automated packing line is ready, this heavy lifting stage will be eliminated, which will undoubtedly improve the health and well-being of the employees. In the final stage, Smolander moves the

seedlings, ball and all, into boxes and then into containers. The nursery’s logistics expert, Timo Ikäheimo, has pre-ordered transport to get the seedlings on their way at the optimummoment. But this is yet to come: let’s first check on what is going on indoors. Soft landing into a harsh world Music is blaring loudly by the wall of the greenhouse – so loudly that even the people working halfway up the massive structure can hear it. Three employees are found lying on a peculiar machine. The machine is called the weeding wagon, and the three atop it keep reaching down as they chat. Spreading out before us we can see a million tiny spruce seedlings less than three months old. Eija Hynninen , Anne Hassinen and Jari-Pekka Koskinen are positioned on the wagon they call the Ferrari, weeding the seedbed. The seedlings need to be cleaned for winter to avoidmould and other problems. “These are our babies. Their growth rate is similar to a human’s and so is the length of their life cycle,” says Immonen. The seedlings are planted in peat, each in its own tray. The surface of the soil is covered in a thin layer of sawdust to keep it dry and prevent moss from growing.

It is important to promote root growth in the early stages of a seedling’s life. From the greenhouse, the seedlings are taken outside to toughen themup. “It’s a little hard for us in autumn, as we have to throw open the greenhouse doors and have the cold air wash over our million children,” says grower Anne Hassinen. The delicate seedlings have been growing in controlled conditions until now, and they need the initial shock of the cold to prepare them for later planting. Finnish trees must be able to cope with weather that swings to extremes: in summer, temperatures can reach 30°C, only to plummet to –30°C in winter. In the outdoor lots, the seedlings are coated in artificial snow to protect them against the hardships of wintertime. After a year of growing, the seedlings are

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