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Hawaiian Heritage Hardwood Print and CodeRFID tagsTo record the maintenance status and location of each tree, the company also plans to use this method to track equipment and staff.
For the previous four years, Hawaiian Heritage Hardwood (HLH) has been growing koa and a few other native plants on a former farm on the Island of Hawaii (Big Island). The company’s for-profit segment harvests the plants for profit, while the non-profit segment, LegacyTrees.org, grows acacia koa for the purpose of permanent reforestation. During the 2013-14 planting season, the investment trees were sold in units of hundreds for a one-time delivery of $9,380. The nonprofit allows individuals to sponsor what HLH calls a “heritage tree,” which is often used to honor a loved one. It costs $60, with $20 going to a charity of the customer’s choice and $1 going to the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust.
The core of the company’s operation is RFID and GPS technology solutions, so that in the process of growing from a small sapling to a towering tree in the forest, it becomes possible to identify each tree. Initially, the system was designed to uniquely identify each tree with passive ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID tags, which users with handheld readers read when the trees were planted, and 25 years later, at harvest (see RFID Help forest farmers plant acacia) do it again. However, to support the expansion of afforestation activities, the RFID system needs to be upgraded to be able to track large numbers of trees. These trees are what the client wanted to plant and cultivate for the permanent forest.
Each sapling got the corresponding label, the label was obtained by Zebra R110Xi4 RFID printer
As of now, Hawaiian Heritage Hardwood has been dedicated to afforestation on the slopes of Mauna Kea’s dormant volcano on about 1,000 acres of land. However, the company is currently negotiating to buy enough space, which if successful, will increase the area many times over. Most of the company’s growth has been in traditional tree planting, where saplings purchased by individuals are located in dedicated areas of the forest, where they are grown to tend them.
William Gilliam, HLH’s chief information officer, said some of the new features have already been incorporated into its RFID-based tracking system, while others are still in the works and will be implemented later this year or in 2014.
For example, Gilliam said, to keep up with demand, the company recently started printing and encoding its own EPC Gen2 passive RFID tags. When HLH first launched its business, it required about 40,000 labels per year. But recently, in just one planting season, the company has required 120,000 labels. To reach this number, the company acquired RFID printing and encoding solutions from Simply RFID, Inc. The product, the R110Xi4 encoding printer with Zebra technology, enables faster label generation.
In the past, tracking the location of trees in Hawaiian Heritage Hardwoods required data collection from GPS units. These GPS units are installed at the four corners of the 100-tree area. Now the company plans to get a specific GPS fix for each tree. To achieve this, HLH has designed its own handheld RFIDReader, which will read the tag’s ID number while capturing the GPS location of a particular tree. The same handheld (the company is currently testing its prototype stage) can also be used during tree maintenance, such as fertilizing or watering. The user simply enters the action that takes place, and the reader reads the tag and links the ongoing task to the corresponding tree, recording it over time and data.
In fact, Gilliam said, HLH also intends to install a camera on a handheld device that would allow crews to take pictures of trees as maintenance work is performed, and then store those pictures and related maintenance data in server software, with tags. ID number to link.
After encoding the Confidex Carrier label, HLH attaches it to a plastic rod and seals it, protecting it from environmental damage.
In the coming year, Gilliam also envisions increasing the number of passive EPC Gen 2 tags for employee badges, equipment and tools. This allows the company to track who and where provided what services, such as watering or eradicating infested plants. It can also locate devices faster, track and more when necessary. For example, if the fence is repaired, you can get information by reading the stickers posted on the fence.
New software Gilliam is developing will allow individual tree owners to locate a particular tree by RFID number from a map similar to the one found on Google Maps. The company uses the Google Earth app as a visual presentation tool. The company is developing a proprietary system that will use an open-source online mapping platform to generate a displayable image of each tree’s location data. The service is available through HLH’s website and is expected to be available in 2014.
When purchasing a sapling, the individual provides the information they wish to store in the ID tag, such as name and relevant details. The client then receives the certificate, which includes details about the tree and the unique ID of the tag. This label will be retained throughout the life of the tree. The tag is then placed in the soil next to the seedling.
The labels are encoded by a Zebra R110Xi4 printer, and the labels are 3 inches long, each attached to a tree stump and dipped in plastic sealant to protect it from environmental damage. The ID number printed on the front of the Confidex Carrier label matches the ID number programmed into the label’s RFID chip, but it’s covered in plastic sealant.
The unique ID number goes into HLH’s management system and is linked to information about the tree itself, such as its “mother” and data provided by customers. Until now, tags have only been read when saplings have been planted and a tree’s identity needs to be verified. However, in the coming months, workers will be equipped with hand-held readers developed by HLH, and for reference purposes, all services provided for a particular tree can be linked to their ID numbers – a move for the benefit of HLH employees and can Customers who log on to the website and track the tree growth process.
For example, trees are regularly measured for growth and growth data is fed into the system. Every time you water or fertilize, information is also passed in. GPS-based location information is also stored with the RFID number.
If visitors come to see their tree, the company provides them with handheld readers. Since the trees in the forest do not have a definite location, it is difficult to locate them. According to Gilliam, RFID is the only way to identify them over time.
The company is currently in discussions with other landowners around the world to see if they would like to launch their own forests. In this case, Hawaii Heritage Hardwood CEO Jeffrey Dunst said the company could offer consulting services as well as RFID solutions.
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