labs@atheron:~/industries/forestry$ track --cutblock --haul --yard --coc

Forestry software

It works on the logging road, from cutblock to mill.

Your loads are written on a ticket in the cab, weighed at the mill, scaled days later and counted again in the yard. We keep each load as one record, with apps that work without signal, tags that survive the bush and records your auditor can follow.

Start a project See the example projects

// what you are up against

The problems we hear most.

Haul tickets in the glovebox

Drivers fill in paper tickets on the logging road, the office types them in when the truck gets back, and contractor pay waits for the paperwork.

Scale data that arrives late

Weigh scale tickets, scale returns and the provincial scaling system each tell part of the story, and joining them to a load takes days.

A yard counted by eye

Decks in the mill yard are estimated by walking them, so the log inventory on paper and the one on the ground drift apart until the next count.

Chain of custody for the audit

FSC and PEFC chain of custody records live in spreadsheets and supplier declarations, and each annual audit is a week of pulling them together.

// example projects

Systems we could build for you.

Each one is hypothetical, labelled as such, and priced live from our rate card. Open any of them in the estimator and make it yours.

Example projectWeb appMobile app

Offline log truck haul tickets

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

A logging contractor's drivers fill in paper haul tickets with no signal, tickets go missing, and drivers wait for pay until the office has typed them in.

// What we would build

An iOS and Android app for drivers that creates haul tickets with the cutblock, load and GPS position offline, prints or shows a QR load tag at the landing, matches each ticket to the mill's weigh scale record and sends approved loads to contractor pay in QuickBooks Online, built on the QuickBooks Online API.

// What is in it

Haul tickets with cutblock, timber mark, species and destination, offline
A QR load tag shown or printed at the landing
Tickets matched to the mill's weigh scale record when the truck crosses
Contractor pay lines posted to QuickBooks Online
A dispatch view of loads by block, road and mill

// Stack

React Native
SQLite on the device
Next.js
PostgreSQL with PostGIS
QuickBooks Online API
AWS

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$129,000 to US$198,000, delivered within 30 weeksCAD 184,000 to 281,300
Hosting: ≈ US$176 a monthCAD 250 a month
Support: ≈ US$2,500 a monthCAD 3,565 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Data mapping and sandbox connection: 0.4 weeks
Design approved: 4.4 to 7.4 weeks
Core features: 1.9 to 2.9 weeks
Full build: 1.4 to 1.9 weeks
First build on devices: 3.4 to 5.9 weeks
Sync built and reconciled in sandbox: 1.4 to 2.4 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.9 weeks
Store submission: 0.9 to 1.9 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Live cutover: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Hypercare: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

Outside our hands, and added to the calendar

App store review: 1 week

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 36,800 to 56,260
Discovery 7.9%: CAD 14,536.00 to 22,222.70
Data mapping and sandbox connection 1.6%: CAD 2,944.00 to 4,500.80
Design approved 7.9%: CAD 14,536.00 to 22,222.70
Core features 6.5%: CAD 11,960.00 to 18,284.50
Full build 4.3%: CAD 7,912.00 to 12,095.90
First build on devices 17.3%: CAD 31,832.00 to 48,664.90
Sync built and reconciled in sandbox 4.9%: CAD 9,016.00 to 13,783.70
Testing and fixes 2.1%: CAD 3,864.00 to 5,907.30
Store submission 5.7%: CAD 10,488.00 to 16,034.10
Launch 7.9%: CAD 14,536.00 to 22,222.70
Live cutover 1.6%: CAD 2,944.00 to 4,500.80
Hypercare 2.3%: CAD 4,232.00 to 6,469.90
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 18,400 to 28,130

Start from this example

Example projectWeb appMobile appMaterials tracking

RFID and QR yard inventory

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

A sawmill estimates its log decks by walking them, cannot say which loads are in which deck, and finds out it is short of a species when the infeed runs dry.

// What we would build

UHF RFID or QR tags on loads and decks, handheld readers and Android mobile computers for the yard crew, GPS on the loaders, and a web inventory that knows each deck's loads, species and age, joined to the scale records and the ERP.

// What is in it

Load tags read as loads land in the yard and as decks are built
Deck inventory by species, grade and age, with GPS positions
Scale records joined to each load, from files or the scaling system
Infeed draws recorded so the yard inventory falls as the mill consumes
Chain of custody status carried from the load to the deck
Handheld readers, mobile computers, tags and printers listed by quantity

// Stack

UHF RFID (EPC Gen2)
Kotlin for Android
Next.js
PostgreSQL with PostGIS
ERP integration
AWS

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$177,000 to US$271,000, delivered within 39 weeksCAD 252,400 to 386,000
Hosting: ≈ US$492 a monthCAD 700 a month
Support: ≈ US$2,500 a monthCAD 3,565 a month
Hardware: ≈ US$76,700CAD 109,240

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Discovery and site walk-through: 0.4 weeks
Design approved: 5.4 to 8.9 weeks
Core features: 1.4 to 2.4 weeks
Full build: 0.9 to 1.9 weeks
First build on devices: 1.9 to 3.4 weeks
Stock, receiving and transfers: 3.4 to 5.9 weeks
Tracking and devices working: 2.4 to 3.9 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.4 weeks
Store submission: 0.4 weeks
Pilot site live: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Chain of custody records walked through with your certificate manager: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Rollout: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

Outside our hands, and added to the calendar

App store review: 1 week
Hardware delivery, after it is ordered: 3 to 6 weeks
Scale data access: 1 to 4 weeks

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 50,480 to 77,200
Discovery 3.4%: CAD 8,581.60 to 13,124.00
Discovery and site walk-through 3.8%: CAD 9,591.20 to 14,668.00
Design approved 7.3%: CAD 18,425.20 to 28,178.00
Core features 3.4%: CAD 8,581.60 to 13,124.00
Full build 2.3%: CAD 5,805.20 to 8,878.00
First build on devices 6.7%: CAD 16,910.80 to 25,862.00
Stock, receiving and transfers 11.6%: CAD 29,278.40 to 44,776.00
Tracking and devices working 7.7%: CAD 19,434.80 to 29,722.00
Testing and fixes 1.1%: CAD 2,776.40 to 4,246.00
Store submission 2.2%: CAD 5,552.80 to 8,492.00
Pilot site live 3.8%: CAD 9,591.20 to 14,668.00
Chain of custody records walked through with your certificate manager 8.7%: CAD 21,958.80 to 33,582.00
Launch 3.4%: CAD 8,581.60 to 13,124.00
Rollout 4.6%: CAD 11,610.40 to 17,756.00
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 25,240 to 38,600
Handheld UHF RFID reader x 6: CAD 22,250. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones
Mobile computer with scanner x 8: CAD 14,080. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones
UHF RFID tags, 1,000 x 120: CAD 60,190. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones
Industrial label printer x 2: CAD 4,760. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones
Labels and ribbons, starter stock x 20: CAD 6,000. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones
UHF RFID development kit, for our build and testing: CAD 1,360. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones
Corded barcode scanner, for our build and testing: CAD 290. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones
Cellular GPS development kit, for our build and testing: CAD 310. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones

Start from this example

Example projectWeb appAICustom LLM

Log count and diameter model

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

A mill checks loads against the scale by eye at the gate, and disputes over piece counts and log sizes are settled with nobody's evidence.

// What we would build

A custom vision model, fine-tuned on the mill's own photos of truck loads, that counts logs and estimates end diameters from a camera at the gate, running on a GPU server at the mill so it keeps working when the internet does not.

// What is in it

A camera at the scale or gate, triggered as each load stops
Piece counts and diameter estimates for each load, with the photo
A model fine-tuned on your loads, measured against hand counts first
Inference on a GPU server at the mill, with no photos sent away
Differences from the scale ticket flagged for the scaler

// Stack

PyTorch
ONNX Runtime
Python
Next.js
Lenovo GPU server at the mill

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$153,000 to US$233,000, delivered within 36 weeksCAD 218,500 to 332,400
Hosting: ≈ US$176 a monthCAD 250 a month
Support: ≈ US$2,500 a monthCAD 3,565 a month
Hardware: ≈ US$47,800 to US$197,000CAD 68,000 to 280,800

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

AI route: Custom LLM
Model running cost: ≈ US$176 a monthCAD 250 a month

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Data and evaluation plan: 0.4 weeks
Design approved: 2.4 to 3.9 weeks
Core features: 1.9 to 3.4 weeks
Full build: 1.4 to 2.4 weeks
Training: 8.9 to 15.4 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.4 weeks
Evaluation and red-teaming: 3.9 to 4.4 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Production: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

Outside our hands, and added to the calendar

Hardware delivery, after it is ordered: 2 to 6 weeks

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 43,460 to 66,240
Discovery 1.3%: CAD 2,824.90 to 4,305.60
Data and evaluation plan 8.2%: CAD 17,818.60 to 27,158.40
Design approved 1.3%: CAD 2,824.90 to 4,305.60
Core features 4%: CAD 8,692 to 13,248
Full build 2.6%: CAD 5,649.80 to 8,611.20
Training 24.8%: CAD 53,890.40 to 82,137.60
Testing and fixes 1.3%: CAD 2,824.90 to 4,305.60
Evaluation and red-teaming 16.5%: CAD 35,854.50 to 54,648.00
Launch 1.3%: CAD 2,824.90 to 4,305.60
Production 8.7%: CAD 18,905.10 to 28,814.40
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 21,730 to 33,120
GPU time for training and testing, at cost: CAD 1,200. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones
GPU server for AI, for the model: CAD 68,000 to 280,800. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones

Start from this example

Example projectWeb appBlockchain

FSC/PEFC chain of custody ledger

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

A licensee, its sawmill and a remanufacturer each keep their own chain of custody records, and a customer asking where a shipment's fibre came from waits a week for an answer.

// What we would build

Chain of custody claims, volumes and supplier declarations recorded on a private permissioned ledger that the licensee, the mill and the remanufacturer each run a node of, with QR codes on bundles linking to the claim. Certification stays with your certification body; this keeps the records it audits.

// What is in it

Claims and volumes recorded at each transfer, from forest to finished bundle
A node for each company in the chain, with a portal for smaller suppliers
QR codes on bundles linking to the claim and its source
Volume checks so claimed output above claimed input shows at once
Exports for the annual audit, in English and French

// Stack

Next.js
Hyperledger Besu (private, permissioned)
PostgreSQL
S3-compatible storage
AWS

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$120,000 to US$183,000, delivered within 28 weeksCAD 170,800 to 261,200
Hosting: ≈ US$492 a monthCAD 700 a month
Support: ≈ US$2,500 a monthCAD 3,565 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Architecture: 0.4 weeks
Design approved: 2.9 to 5.4 weeks
Core features: 1.4 to 2.4 weeks
Full build: 0.9 to 1.9 weeks
Devnet: 2.9 to 4.9 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.4 weeks
Testnet: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Chain of custody records walked through with your certificate manager: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Mainnet: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 34,160 to 52,240
Discovery 2.2%: CAD 3,757.60 to 5,746.40
Architecture 5.9%: CAD 10,077.20 to 15,410.80
Design approved 2.2%: CAD 3,757.60 to 5,746.40
Core features 6.6%: CAD 11,272.80 to 17,239.20
Full build 4.4%: CAD 7,515.20 to 11,492.80
Devnet 17.7%: CAD 30,231.60 to 46,232.40
Testing and fixes 2.2%: CAD 3,757.60 to 5,746.40
Testnet 11.8%: CAD 20,154.40 to 30,821.60
Chain of custody records walked through with your certificate manager 8.7%: CAD 14,859.60 to 22,724.40
Launch 2.2%: CAD 3,757.60 to 5,746.40
Mainnet 6.1%: CAD 10,418.80 to 15,933.20
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 17,080 to 26,120

Start from this example

Example projectBot with a web dashboard

Road status and hazard bot

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

Road closures, load restrictions and fire danger ratings reach contractor crews by a chain of phone calls and group texts, and someone always misses one.

// What we would build

A Telegram bot that posts road status, load restrictions and fire danger ratings to each operation's crews, lets drivers report a washout or a hazard with a photo and location, and keeps a log the supervisor can read.

// What is in it

Road status and load restrictions by road and operation
Fire danger ratings and shutdown notices pushed to the right crews
Hazard reports from drivers with photo and location
Acknowledgements recorded, so the supervisor knows who has seen a notice

// Stack

Telegram Bot API
Node.js
PostgreSQL
DigitalOcean

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$20,600 to US$31,500, delivered within 8 weeksCAD 29,400 to 44,900
Hosting: ≈ US$176 a monthCAD 250 a month
Support: ≈ US$1,000 a monthCAD 1,425 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Commands agreed: 1.9 to 2.4 weeks
Working in a test server: 1.9 to 2.9 weeks
Hardening and testing: 0.5 to 1 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

How it is paid

Deposit 30%: CAD 8,820 to 13,470
Commands agreed 15%: CAD 4,410 to 6,735
Working in a test server 30%: CAD 8,820 to 13,470
Launch 15%: CAD 4,410 to 6,735
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 2,940 to 4,490

Start from this example

Example projectWeb app

Harvest and haul analytics

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

A forest licensee tracks volumes cut, hauled and scaled in three systems, and reconciling them for each cutblock takes days at the end of every season.

// What we would build

An analytics store that joins harvest, haul ticket and scale data every night by cutblock and contractor, shows volumes on a map, and flags loads and blocks where the figures do not agree.

// What is in it

Harvest, haul and scale data joined every night
Volumes by cutblock, contractor and species
Blocks and loads that do not reconcile, flagged
Maps of progress across your cutblocks

// Stack

PostgreSQL with PostGIS
dbt
Apache Superset
Mapbox
DigitalOcean

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$62,600 to US$95,800, delivered within 16 weeksCAD 89,200 to 136,400
Hosting: ≈ US$344 a monthCAD 490 a month
Support: ≈ US$1,000 a monthCAD 1,425 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Design approved: 2.4 to 3.4 weeks
Core features: 2.4 to 3.9 weeks
Full build: 1.4 to 2.4 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 17,840 to 27,280
Discovery 7.7%: CAD 6,868.40 to 10,502.80
Design approved 7.7%: CAD 6,868.40 to 10,502.80
Core features 23.3%: CAD 20,783.60 to 31,781.20
Full build 15.5%: CAD 13,826 to 21,142
Testing and fixes 7.7%: CAD 6,868.40 to 10,502.80
Launch 8.1%: CAD 7,225.20 to 11,048.40
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 8,920 to 13,640

Start from this example

// by service

Go deeper on one kind of work.

Pages for the services we have the most to say about in this industry.

~/apps

Forestry apps

Offline haul ticket apps for log truck drivers and mill yard inventory with RFID and QR tags, joined to weigh scales, scaling data, contractor pay and your ERP.

~/ai

AI log scaling

A custom vision model fine-tuned on your own load photos that counts logs and estimates end diameters at the gate, running on a GPU server at the mill.

~/bots

Forestry crew bots

A Telegram bot that sends road status, load restrictions and fire danger ratings to contractor crews, takes hazard reports with photos and records who has seen each notice.

~/chains

Wood chain of custody

FSC and PEFC chain of custody claims and volumes shared by licensees, mills and remanufacturers on a private permissioned ledger, with QR codes on bundles linking back to the source.

// questions

What buyers in this industry ask us.

Do you work outside British Columbia?

Yes. We are in British Columbia and work with clients anywhere; prices are in Canadian dollars.

Can you supply tags, readers and printers?

Yes, as a pass-through listed by quantity in the estimate, or you can buy them directly. We integrate with the makers' devices through their published interfaces.

How do payments work?

A deposit to start, then payments at agreed milestones, with 10% held until 30 days after launch. The deposit is a smaller share on larger projects.

Who owns the code and the models?

You do, once the work is paid for, including models trained on your load photos.

// other industries

Nearby industries.

~/supply-chain

Supply chain

Inbound control towers, multi-tier sourcing ledgers with supplier portals, supplier risk agents and sustainability data portals.

See the examples

~/carbon-esg

Carbon markets and ESG

Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions platforms, supplier data portals, agents that read your bills, MRV field apps and tokenised credit retirement.

See the examples

~/construction

Construction

Site apps for daily logs and safety, specs assistants, progress claim and holdback ledgers, and bots for your crews.

See the examples

All industries

// where we work

Find your market.

We work from Kelowna with clients across Canada, the United States and further afield. Each market page covers working hours, hosting, the privacy law that applies, and prices in your currency.

Every market

// next

Not quite your project?

Tell us what you have in mind. We will come back to you with a range and the questions that would narrow it. Or book a call and talk it through.

Start a project Book a call