Tracking system and method for tracking wood products in a production line

A method of tracking wood products being transversely moved across a handling area of a production line at a transverse speed, the method comprising:

• obtaining position and orientation data and optimization data associated to each wood product of a first sample present in the handling area at a first moment in time;
• using a processor,
• anticipating position and orientation data of each wood product of the first sample at a second moment in time assuming an incremental transverse movement based on the transverse speed and on the position and orientation data associated to each wood product of the first sample;
• acquiring, from a camera, an image representing each wood product of a second sample present in at least the handling area at the second moment in time and analyzing the image to determine actual position and orientation data associated to each wood product of the second sample;
• and
• tracking each wood product from the first sample to the second sample by associating the optimization data of each wood product of the first sample to a respective wood product of the second sample based on the anticipated and actual position and orientation data.