Pub Date : 2022-09-02DOI: 10.1080/14942119.2022.2126627
J. Sessions
Oregon State University hosted the 43rd annual meeting of the Council on Forest Engineering (COFE) and the 53rd annual meeting of the International Symposium on Forest Mechanization (FORMEC) jointly as a virtual meeting during September 27–30, 2021. This event was the second of the three consecutive annual joint meetings scheduled between COFE and FORMEC. The event theme was “Forest Engineering Family – Growing Forward from Our Roots.” A total of 225 attendees from five regions participated including Africa (8), Asia/Oceania (22), Europe (105), North America (73), and Central/South America (17). Thirty-four of the participants were graduate students. There were six Keynote addresses: Digital Learning as an Opportunity for Forestry Qualification as a European Task (Lea Schmeil, Andrea Teutenberg), How will COVID-19 Change Forestry Education? A Case Study of US Forest Operations Instructors (Elizabeth Dodson, Charles Blinn), The Economic Potential for Tele-extraction of Roundwood in Sweden (Mikael Lundbäck, Dag Fjeld, Carola Häggström, Tomas Nordfjell), Assistance System for an Automatic Loading Process (Chris Geiger, Michael Weissenboeck, Marcus Geimer), The Role of Forest Engineering in Curbing Climate Change (Rene Zamora Cristales) and Integrating Forest Biomass into Regional-scale Multifeedstock Supply Chain Models (Nathaniel Anderson, Matt Thompson, Jingxin Wang, Damon Hartle). The program was centered around 11 themes: Human Factors and Safety (14 presenters), Education, Training and Workforce Development (6 presenters), Inventory, Remote Sensing and Precision Technology (16 presenters), Supply Chain and Logging Industry (7 presenters), Harvesting and Processing (19 presenters), Steep Slope Harvesting (11 presenters), Harvest Operations Planning (6 presenters), Forest Roads (6 presenters), Log Transportation (8 presenters), Environmental Impacts (9 presenters), and Forest Biomass and Bioenergy (16 presenters). In addition, 25 posters were presented along with 17 student flash talks. Of the 118 presentations, 10 submitted papers were peerreviewed and accepted for publication in this special issue. The papers span a wide array of topics and geographic locations covering 7 of the 11 program themes. Under Human Factors and Safety, Lyons et al. focus on developing computer simulations for risk assessment by cable logging rigging crews. Under Remote Sensing and Precision Technology, Schmiedel et al. examine stand-specific working methods for harvester operators. Under Supply Chain and Logging Industry, Gercans et al. discuss business success factors for Latvian and Swedish forestry contractors. Under Harvesting and Processing, Lundbäck et al. look at the economic potential of semi-automated teleextraction of roundwood in Sweden, Bergstrom et al. examine the effects of boom-corridor thinning on harvester productivity and residual stand structure, and Rocha et al. look at the economic viability of whole tree harvesting under conditions of uncertainty
{"title":"Introduction for special issue “COFE-FORMEC 2021 joint meeting”","authors":"J. Sessions","doi":"10.1080/14942119.2022.2126627","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14942119.2022.2126627","url":null,"abstract":"Oregon State University hosted the 43rd annual meeting of the Council on Forest Engineering (COFE) and the 53rd annual meeting of the International Symposium on Forest Mechanization (FORMEC) jointly as a virtual meeting during September 27–30, 2021. This event was the second of the three consecutive annual joint meetings scheduled between COFE and FORMEC. The event theme was “Forest Engineering Family – Growing Forward from Our Roots.” A total of 225 attendees from five regions participated including Africa (8), Asia/Oceania (22), Europe (105), North America (73), and Central/South America (17). Thirty-four of the participants were graduate students. There were six Keynote addresses: Digital Learning as an Opportunity for Forestry Qualification as a European Task (Lea Schmeil, Andrea Teutenberg), How will COVID-19 Change Forestry Education? A Case Study of US Forest Operations Instructors (Elizabeth Dodson, Charles Blinn), The Economic Potential for Tele-extraction of Roundwood in Sweden (Mikael Lundbäck, Dag Fjeld, Carola Häggström, Tomas Nordfjell), Assistance System for an Automatic Loading Process (Chris Geiger, Michael Weissenboeck, Marcus Geimer), The Role of Forest Engineering in Curbing Climate Change (Rene Zamora Cristales) and Integrating Forest Biomass into Regional-scale Multifeedstock Supply Chain Models (Nathaniel Anderson, Matt Thompson, Jingxin Wang, Damon Hartle). The program was centered around 11 themes: Human Factors and Safety (14 presenters), Education, Training and Workforce Development (6 presenters), Inventory, Remote Sensing and Precision Technology (16 presenters), Supply Chain and Logging Industry (7 presenters), Harvesting and Processing (19 presenters), Steep Slope Harvesting (11 presenters), Harvest Operations Planning (6 presenters), Forest Roads (6 presenters), Log Transportation (8 presenters), Environmental Impacts (9 presenters), and Forest Biomass and Bioenergy (16 presenters). In addition, 25 posters were presented along with 17 student flash talks. Of the 118 presentations, 10 submitted papers were peerreviewed and accepted for publication in this special issue. The papers span a wide array of topics and geographic locations covering 7 of the 11 program themes. Under Human Factors and Safety, Lyons et al. focus on developing computer simulations for risk assessment by cable logging rigging crews. Under Remote Sensing and Precision Technology, Schmiedel et al. examine stand-specific working methods for harvester operators. Under Supply Chain and Logging Industry, Gercans et al. discuss business success factors for Latvian and Swedish forestry contractors. Under Harvesting and Processing, Lundbäck et al. look at the economic potential of semi-automated teleextraction of roundwood in Sweden, Bergstrom et al. examine the effects of boom-corridor thinning on harvester productivity and residual stand structure, and Rocha et al. look at the economic viability of whole tree harvesting under conditions of uncertainty","PeriodicalId":55998,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Forest Engineering","volume":"33 1","pages":"169 - 169"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46295529","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-08-09DOI: 10.1080/14942119.2022.2103784
Mikael Lundbäck, C. Häggström, D. Fjeld, O. Lindroos, T. Nordfjell
ABSTRACT The mechanization of roundwood harvesting in Sweden has historically cut costs rapidly. However, machinery and work methods have conceptually stayed the same since the introduction of the single-grip harvester. Current trends indicate that the next major wave of development will be based on automation, and that teleoperation is a step in this direction. This study aims to evaluate the economic potential of semi-automated tele-extraction compared to standard forwarding within the Nordic CTL two-machine harvesting system. The initial scenario examined autonomous terrain transportation with teleoperation during loading and unloading. A Discrete Event Simulation was implemented in the AnyLogic software. Input data included 1100 Swedish harvest sites, with in total 1.6 million m3 and extraction distances from 20 to 1500 m. Scenarios with different numbers of teleoperators for a fleet of ten forwarders were tested. The optimum number of operators was seven per ten forwarders, resulting in a potential extraction cost reduction of 7% compared to standard forwarding. Extraction distances further than 500 m enabled use of five or six teleoperators, resulting in potential cost reductions of up to 15%. The highest potential cost reductions were linked to increased time used for autonomous driving, increasing the teleoperator availability for other machines. The simulation model provides a framework for further evaluation of new scenarios of automation and teleoperation of forwarders.
{"title":"The economic potential of semi-automated tele-extraction of roundwood in Sweden","authors":"Mikael Lundbäck, C. Häggström, D. Fjeld, O. Lindroos, T. Nordfjell","doi":"10.1080/14942119.2022.2103784","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14942119.2022.2103784","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The mechanization of roundwood harvesting in Sweden has historically cut costs rapidly. However, machinery and work methods have conceptually stayed the same since the introduction of the single-grip harvester. Current trends indicate that the next major wave of development will be based on automation, and that teleoperation is a step in this direction. This study aims to evaluate the economic potential of semi-automated tele-extraction compared to standard forwarding within the Nordic CTL two-machine harvesting system. The initial scenario examined autonomous terrain transportation with teleoperation during loading and unloading. A Discrete Event Simulation was implemented in the AnyLogic software. Input data included 1100 Swedish harvest sites, with in total 1.6 million m3 and extraction distances from 20 to 1500 m. Scenarios with different numbers of teleoperators for a fleet of ten forwarders were tested. The optimum number of operators was seven per ten forwarders, resulting in a potential extraction cost reduction of 7% compared to standard forwarding. Extraction distances further than 500 m enabled use of five or six teleoperators, resulting in potential cost reductions of up to 15%. The highest potential cost reductions were linked to increased time used for autonomous driving, increasing the teleoperator availability for other machines. The simulation model provides a framework for further evaluation of new scenarios of automation and teleoperation of forwarders.","PeriodicalId":55998,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Forest Engineering","volume":"33 1","pages":"271 - 288"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48896064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-08-03DOI: 10.1080/14942119.2022.2107863
R. Spinelli, N. Magagnotti, Barnabáš Kováč, Patrik Heger, Dávid Heilig, B. Heil, G. Kovacs, M. Mihelič
ABSTRACT Underdeveloped tree crops (⩽ 30 bone-dry tons ha−1) offer a main harvest of biomass-trees, which lack the size and the form for producing a log. However, about 1/3 of the available stems may yield at least one log, which could significantly increase the overall value of the harvest. Under those circumstances, it may make sense to sort log-trees from biomass-trees at an early stage, rather than having a harvester or a processor go through all of the treesonly to toss almost 70 out of 100 trees into the biomass pile. The Authors set up a controlled experiment to quantify the eventual benefit obtained by early pre-sorting, performed by the feller-buncher. Pre-sorting resulted in a 15% productivity loss for the feller-buncher, which was repaid by a 100% productivity increase for the processor. Considering the different hourly cost of the two machines, three Euros were saved for each additional Euro invested in pre-sorting. Pre-sorting made whole-tree harvesting (WTH) a significantly cheaper option than cut-to-length (CTL) , whereas the two systems would be almost equally expensive when no pre-sorting was applied. Pre-sorting would also facilitate multiple-tree delimbing, implemented through the introduction of a chainflail; that is likely to further reduce harvesting cost, returning financial viability to the harvesting of underdeveloped plantations.
{"title":"A cost-benefit analysis of pre-sorting using a feller-buncher in underdeveloped short rotation poplar plantations","authors":"R. Spinelli, N. Magagnotti, Barnabáš Kováč, Patrik Heger, Dávid Heilig, B. Heil, G. Kovacs, M. Mihelič","doi":"10.1080/14942119.2022.2107863","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14942119.2022.2107863","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Underdeveloped tree crops (⩽ 30 bone-dry tons ha−1) offer a main harvest of biomass-trees, which lack the size and the form for producing a log. However, about 1/3 of the available stems may yield at least one log, which could significantly increase the overall value of the harvest. Under those circumstances, it may make sense to sort log-trees from biomass-trees at an early stage, rather than having a harvester or a processor go through all of the treesonly to toss almost 70 out of 100 trees into the biomass pile. The Authors set up a controlled experiment to quantify the eventual benefit obtained by early pre-sorting, performed by the feller-buncher. Pre-sorting resulted in a 15% productivity loss for the feller-buncher, which was repaid by a 100% productivity increase for the processor. Considering the different hourly cost of the two machines, three Euros were saved for each additional Euro invested in pre-sorting. Pre-sorting made whole-tree harvesting (WTH) a significantly cheaper option than cut-to-length (CTL) , whereas the two systems would be almost equally expensive when no pre-sorting was applied. Pre-sorting would also facilitate multiple-tree delimbing, implemented through the introduction of a chainflail; that is likely to further reduce harvesting cost, returning financial viability to the harvesting of underdeveloped plantations.","PeriodicalId":55998,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Forest Engineering","volume":"34 1","pages":"90 - 99"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48097703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-08-02DOI: 10.1080/14942119.2022.2102346
R. Jonsson, M. Rönnqvist, P. Flisberg, Petrus Jönsson, O. Lindroos
ABSTRACT There are many factors to consider when deciding which technologies to use in forest operations and how to plan their use. One important factor is the overall cost when choosing between the established two-machine system (TMS) with a harvester and a forwarder, and a one-machine system with a harwarder in final fellings. Such considerations can be done with different model approaches, all of which have their strengths and weaknesses. The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the TMS and harwarder potential using a Detailed Optimization (DO) approach and an Aggregated Heuristic (AH) approach. The main differences are the aggregation of seasons, including machine system teams, and spatial considerations. The analyses were done for one full year of final fellings for a large forest company’s region in central Sweden, containing information necessary for calculating costs for logging, relocation between stands and traveling between the operator’s home bases and the stands. The approaches were tested for two scenarios; when only TMS were available, and when both TMS and harwarders were available. The main results were that the approaches coincided well in both potential to decrease total costs when harwarders where available, and distribution of TMS and harwarders. There were some differences in the results, which can be explained by differences in thecalculation approach. It was concluded that the DO approach is more suitable when detailed analyses are prioritized, and the AH approach is more suitable when a more approximate analysis will suffice or the available resources for making the analysis are more limited.
{"title":"Comparison of modeling approaches for evaluation of machine fleets in central Sweden forest operations","authors":"R. Jonsson, M. Rönnqvist, P. Flisberg, Petrus Jönsson, O. Lindroos","doi":"10.1080/14942119.2022.2102346","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14942119.2022.2102346","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT There are many factors to consider when deciding which technologies to use in forest operations and how to plan their use. One important factor is the overall cost when choosing between the established two-machine system (TMS) with a harvester and a forwarder, and a one-machine system with a harwarder in final fellings. Such considerations can be done with different model approaches, all of which have their strengths and weaknesses. The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the TMS and harwarder potential using a Detailed Optimization (DO) approach and an Aggregated Heuristic (AH) approach. The main differences are the aggregation of seasons, including machine system teams, and spatial considerations. The analyses were done for one full year of final fellings for a large forest company’s region in central Sweden, containing information necessary for calculating costs for logging, relocation between stands and traveling between the operator’s home bases and the stands. The approaches were tested for two scenarios; when only TMS were available, and when both TMS and harwarders were available. The main results were that the approaches coincided well in both potential to decrease total costs when harwarders where available, and distribution of TMS and harwarders. There were some differences in the results, which can be explained by differences in thecalculation approach. It was concluded that the DO approach is more suitable when detailed analyses are prioritized, and the AH approach is more suitable when a more approximate analysis will suffice or the available resources for making the analysis are more limited.","PeriodicalId":55998,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Forest Engineering","volume":"34 1","pages":"42 - 53"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42749605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-25DOI: 10.1080/14942119.2022.2094192
J. Laitila, K. Väätäinen
ABSTRACT The main problem with the utilization of untended stands for energy use is that small-diameter trees are expensive to harvest, and the value of the harvest fails to exceed the harvesting cost. Until now, the equation has appeared difficult to solve, but a wood harvesting innovation – the Risupeto II accumulating felling head – which works on a continuous basis, could provide a solution to the harvesting cost problem of young stands with a dense undergrowth. The novel accumulating felling head is attached to the boom of the crawler excavator, and trees are harvested at full-tree length. The crosscutting is done later during loading by a forwarder equipped with a grapple saw. The objectives of the present study were: 1) to define the productivity; 2) produce time consumption models for the Risupeto II harvesting unit in selective thinnings and 3) to determine the harvesting cost of whole trees from the early thinnings based on the above described two-machine configuration. Time study data from the 16 study plots consisted of 3,099 whole trees where the average tree volume varied between 14.2 and 52.0 dm3 resulting in 73 m3 of whole trees. The productivity varied between 11.2 and 26.6 m3/PMh on the time study plots indicating that felling-bunching productivity was relatively high compared to the latest studies with the Nordic harvesting technology in early thinning. According to the profitability analysis, the harvesting costs could be covered by the revenue from energy wood sales.
{"title":"The productivity and cost of harvesting whole trees from early thinnings with a felling head designed for continuous cutting and accumulation","authors":"J. Laitila, K. Väätäinen","doi":"10.1080/14942119.2022.2094192","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14942119.2022.2094192","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The main problem with the utilization of untended stands for energy use is that small-diameter trees are expensive to harvest, and the value of the harvest fails to exceed the harvesting cost. Until now, the equation has appeared difficult to solve, but a wood harvesting innovation – the Risupeto II accumulating felling head – which works on a continuous basis, could provide a solution to the harvesting cost problem of young stands with a dense undergrowth. The novel accumulating felling head is attached to the boom of the crawler excavator, and trees are harvested at full-tree length. The crosscutting is done later during loading by a forwarder equipped with a grapple saw. The objectives of the present study were: 1) to define the productivity; 2) produce time consumption models for the Risupeto II harvesting unit in selective thinnings and 3) to determine the harvesting cost of whole trees from the early thinnings based on the above described two-machine configuration. Time study data from the 16 study plots consisted of 3,099 whole trees where the average tree volume varied between 14.2 and 52.0 dm3 resulting in 73 m3 of whole trees. The productivity varied between 11.2 and 26.6 m3/PMh on the time study plots indicating that felling-bunching productivity was relatively high compared to the latest studies with the Nordic harvesting technology in early thinning. According to the profitability analysis, the harvesting costs could be covered by the revenue from energy wood sales.","PeriodicalId":55998,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Forest Engineering","volume":"34 1","pages":"76 - 89"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48540493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-07-18DOI: 10.1080/14942119.2022.2099235
Janis Gercans, K. Kons, Thomas Kronholm
ABSTRACT The economic viability of forestry contractors is a long-term topic of debate among forest sector professionals and researchers. The forestry contractor business depends heavily on the primary buyers of their services, with a plethora of factors influencing successful business. A survey of 110 forestry contractors from Latvia (LVA) and Sweden (SWE) indicate that the skillfulness of employees, teamwork, good collaboration with business partners, treatment of employees, demand, favorable weather conditions, quality of work, good contract rates, investment in new machinery, and experience in the sector were important factors for success in the forestry contractor business. However, there are differences between the two countries in business-influencing factors. Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and financial indicators such as net turnover, net profit, return on assets, return on sales, and the number of employees were significantly higher for LVA forestry contractors. At the same time, net profit per employee and net turnover per employee were` significantly higher for SWE forestry contractors.
{"title":"Business success factors of Latvian and Swedish forestry contractors","authors":"Janis Gercans, K. Kons, Thomas Kronholm","doi":"10.1080/14942119.2022.2099235","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14942119.2022.2099235","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The economic viability of forestry contractors is a long-term topic of debate among forest sector professionals and researchers. The forestry contractor business depends heavily on the primary buyers of their services, with a plethora of factors influencing successful business. A survey of 110 forestry contractors from Latvia (LVA) and Sweden (SWE) indicate that the skillfulness of employees, teamwork, good collaboration with business partners, treatment of employees, demand, favorable weather conditions, quality of work, good contract rates, investment in new machinery, and experience in the sector were important factors for success in the forestry contractor business. However, there are differences between the two countries in business-influencing factors. Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and financial indicators such as net turnover, net profit, return on assets, return on sales, and the number of employees were significantly higher for LVA forestry contractors. At the same time, net profit per employee and net turnover per employee were` significantly higher for SWE forestry contractors.","PeriodicalId":55998,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Forest Engineering","volume":"33 1","pages":"262 - 270"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43524124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-20DOI: 10.1080/14942119.2022.2090180
C. Nakata, A. Itaya, Yuta Inomata, Hirokazu Yamaguchi, C. Yoshida, M. Nakazawa
ABSTRACT This study clarified the working conditions and fatigue in log truck drivers in Japan’s forestry industry. Log truck drivers in Mie Prefecture, central Japan, were surveyed by questionnaires and interviews. In total, 45 valid responses were obtained from drivers; 24 who worked for transportation firms were defined as “occupational drivers” and 21 who worked for forestry cooperatives or logging companies were defined as “non-occupational drivers.” Many of the responses implied that occupational drivers had poor working conditions, making them prone to fatigue. The average mean driving distance per day of occupational drivers was about three times that of non-occupational drivers. One occupational driver reported a maximum driving distance of 700 km/day. The average mean driving time per day of occupational drivers was about two times that of non-occupational drivers. One occupational driver reported a maximum driving time of 18 h/day. However, many of the answers indicated that non-occupational drivers felt more fatigue; 66.6% had felt tired or exhausted compared to 31.8% of occupational drivers. Two-thirds of occupational drivers answered that log transportation was easier than other transportation driving compared to 4.8% of non-occupational drivers. Many non-occupational drivers (57.1%) felt that log transportation was not easy. It was not a daily task for them, as they usually drove only after logging. The non-occupational drivers felt more nervous driving relatively large trucks and transporting logs compared to the occupational drivers. These results can help inform management in the forestry industry and will contribute to improving drivers’ working environment and reducing fatigue.
{"title":"Working conditions and fatigue in log truck drivers within the Japanese forest industry","authors":"C. Nakata, A. Itaya, Yuta Inomata, Hirokazu Yamaguchi, C. Yoshida, M. Nakazawa","doi":"10.1080/14942119.2022.2090180","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14942119.2022.2090180","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This study clarified the working conditions and fatigue in log truck drivers in Japan’s forestry industry. Log truck drivers in Mie Prefecture, central Japan, were surveyed by questionnaires and interviews. In total, 45 valid responses were obtained from drivers; 24 who worked for transportation firms were defined as “occupational drivers” and 21 who worked for forestry cooperatives or logging companies were defined as “non-occupational drivers.” Many of the responses implied that occupational drivers had poor working conditions, making them prone to fatigue. The average mean driving distance per day of occupational drivers was about three times that of non-occupational drivers. One occupational driver reported a maximum driving distance of 700 km/day. The average mean driving time per day of occupational drivers was about two times that of non-occupational drivers. One occupational driver reported a maximum driving time of 18 h/day. However, many of the answers indicated that non-occupational drivers felt more fatigue; 66.6% had felt tired or exhausted compared to 31.8% of occupational drivers. Two-thirds of occupational drivers answered that log transportation was easier than other transportation driving compared to 4.8% of non-occupational drivers. Many non-occupational drivers (57.1%) felt that log transportation was not easy. It was not a daily task for them, as they usually drove only after logging. The non-occupational drivers felt more nervous driving relatively large trucks and transporting logs compared to the occupational drivers. These results can help inform management in the forestry industry and will contribute to improving drivers’ working environment and reducing fatigue.","PeriodicalId":55998,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Forest Engineering","volume":"34 1","pages":"64 - 75"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43969756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-14DOI: 10.1080/14942119.2022.2085464
Rohit Arora, T. Sowlati, Joel Mortyn, Dominik Roeser, V. Griess
ABSTRACT The competitiveness of forest companies is strongly affected by the costs associated with getting the raw material to the mills. As harvesting costs contribute significantly to this cost, mathematical programming models were developed to optimize the scheduling of harvest activities within and between cut blocks to reduce the overall cost. However, the precedence relationship between harvesting activities occurring concurrently across multiple cut blocks has not been considered in the existing literature. In this paper, a mixed-integer linear programming model is developed to optimize the scheduling of harvesting activities, considering the precedence relationship among harvesting activities. The objective of the model is to minimize the total costs. The model determines the start time and end time of each harvesting activity at each cut block, considering the movement time of machines between cut blocks. The model is applied to the case of a large forest company in British Columbia, Canada. The model’s harvesting cost is only 1.37% higher than the lowest possible harvesting cost, and only 3 assigned machines have an idle time. The detailed harvesting schedule is generated based on the start time, the end time, and the operating time for each activity at each cut block.
{"title":"Optimization of forest harvest scheduling at the operational level, considering precedence relationship among harvesting activities","authors":"Rohit Arora, T. Sowlati, Joel Mortyn, Dominik Roeser, V. Griess","doi":"10.1080/14942119.2022.2085464","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14942119.2022.2085464","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The competitiveness of forest companies is strongly affected by the costs associated with getting the raw material to the mills. As harvesting costs contribute significantly to this cost, mathematical programming models were developed to optimize the scheduling of harvest activities within and between cut blocks to reduce the overall cost. However, the precedence relationship between harvesting activities occurring concurrently across multiple cut blocks has not been considered in the existing literature. In this paper, a mixed-integer linear programming model is developed to optimize the scheduling of harvesting activities, considering the precedence relationship among harvesting activities. The objective of the model is to minimize the total costs. The model determines the start time and end time of each harvesting activity at each cut block, considering the movement time of machines between cut blocks. The model is applied to the case of a large forest company in British Columbia, Canada. The model’s harvesting cost is only 1.37% higher than the lowest possible harvesting cost, and only 3 assigned machines have an idle time. The detailed harvesting schedule is generated based on the start time, the end time, and the operating time for each activity at each cut block.","PeriodicalId":55998,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Forest Engineering","volume":"34 1","pages":"1 - 12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41905652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-06DOI: 10.1080/14942119.2022.2083048
D. Camargo, R. Munis, R. H. Miyajima, R. C. A. Lima, D. Simões
ABSTRACT Wood harvesting operations involve mechanized and semi-mechanized machines that expose operators to occupational noise. It was verified that the emission of occupational noise levels in the harvest of mechanized and semi-mechanized wood in Brazilian forests planted with eucalyptus were in compliance with Directive 2003/10/EC. Noise data were collected using two personal-use integrative meters. The lower action level of 80 dB(A), the upper action level of 85 dB(A) and the exposure limit of 87 dB(A) were evaluated. The results showed that 16.6% of the operators were exposed to thresholds above the lower action level, but remained below the upper level of 85 dB(A), 8.3% of the operators were exposed to occupational noise levels above the upper action level, without exceeding the exposure limit of 87 dB(A) and 25% of operators were exposed to levels above the exposure limit. Therefore, the occupational noise levels achieved when harvesting mechanized and semi-mechanized wood in forests planted with eucalyptus do not comply with Directive 2003/10/EC.
{"title":"An evaluation of machine operator exposure to occupational noise during harvesting and extraction operations in Brazilian eucalyptus plantations","authors":"D. Camargo, R. Munis, R. H. Miyajima, R. C. A. Lima, D. Simões","doi":"10.1080/14942119.2022.2083048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14942119.2022.2083048","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Wood harvesting operations involve mechanized and semi-mechanized machines that expose operators to occupational noise. It was verified that the emission of occupational noise levels in the harvest of mechanized and semi-mechanized wood in Brazilian forests planted with eucalyptus were in compliance with Directive 2003/10/EC. Noise data were collected using two personal-use integrative meters. The lower action level of 80 dB(A), the upper action level of 85 dB(A) and the exposure limit of 87 dB(A) were evaluated. The results showed that 16.6% of the operators were exposed to thresholds above the lower action level, but remained below the upper level of 85 dB(A), 8.3% of the operators were exposed to occupational noise levels above the upper action level, without exceeding the exposure limit of 87 dB(A) and 25% of operators were exposed to levels above the exposure limit. Therefore, the occupational noise levels achieved when harvesting mechanized and semi-mechanized wood in forests planted with eucalyptus do not comply with Directive 2003/10/EC.","PeriodicalId":55998,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Forest Engineering","volume":"34 1","pages":"35 - 41"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46700817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-06-03DOI: 10.1080/14942119.2022.2084674
Otacílio Antunes Santana, José Imaña Encinas, Guillermo Riesco Muñoz
ABSTRACT The energetic requirements of the Brazilian gypsum industry are mainly provided by firewood transported by road. The cost of transporting firewood is greatly affected by the stacking factor. In this study, we determined how the stacking factor for trailer trucks varied for the firewood harvested from forest species in the Caatinga biome, Brazil. For this purpose, the following steps were carried out: i) the logs were stacked in a frame (volume, 1 stere) and weighed; ii) the solid over bark volume of each log was obtained by scanning and by xylometry (immersion in water); iii) the stacked volume of logs on the truck was measured; and iv) the stacking factor, the stacking density and the apparent density of the unpeeled wood were computed for each of 60 truck trips. The stacking factor was, on average, 1.12. This value is lower than reported for other species; the greater compaction of the timber represents an advantage in terms of transport costs. However, the maximum variation in the load weight was 20%, which is not negligible from an economic point of view because of the associated loss of energy efficiency in the supply chain for the lowest volume loads.
{"title":"Stacking factor in transporting firewood produced from a mixture of Caatinga biome species in Brazil","authors":"Otacílio Antunes Santana, José Imaña Encinas, Guillermo Riesco Muñoz","doi":"10.1080/14942119.2022.2084674","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14942119.2022.2084674","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The energetic requirements of the Brazilian gypsum industry are mainly provided by firewood transported by road. The cost of transporting firewood is greatly affected by the stacking factor. In this study, we determined how the stacking factor for trailer trucks varied for the firewood harvested from forest species in the Caatinga biome, Brazil. For this purpose, the following steps were carried out: i) the logs were stacked in a frame (volume, 1 stere) and weighed; ii) the solid over bark volume of each log was obtained by scanning and by xylometry (immersion in water); iii) the stacked volume of logs on the truck was measured; and iv) the stacking factor, the stacking density and the apparent density of the unpeeled wood were computed for each of 60 truck trips. The stacking factor was, on average, 1.12. This value is lower than reported for other species; the greater compaction of the timber represents an advantage in terms of transport costs. However, the maximum variation in the load weight was 20%, which is not negligible from an economic point of view because of the associated loss of energy efficiency in the supply chain for the lowest volume loads.","PeriodicalId":55998,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Forest Engineering","volume":"34 1","pages":"54 - 63"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2022-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59938078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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