Scheduling of forest harvesting operations on multiple cut blocks using multi-task machines

ABSTRACT The modernization of forest harvesting operations has significantly increased the cost of machine ownership and has turned forest harvesting into a capital-intensive process. To increase productivity and profitability, some companies have acquired multi-task harvesting machines. While many previous papers focused on optimizing the harvest scheduling to reduce the costs of harvesting, the assignment of multi-task machines was not considered in their models. In this work, an optimization model is developed for the detailed scheduling of harvesting activities on multiple cut blocks using multi-task machines. This model is a continuation of previous work on detailed harvest scheduling. It prescribes the start time and the end time of operations of each machine at each cut block, the number of machines to be assigned for each harvesting activity at each cut block, the cut block that the machine should move to after completing its operation at a cut block, and the type of activity it should perform. It is applied to a case study of a forest company in Canada. According to the results, the total harvesting cost decreased by Can$ 25,000 when multi-task machines were used compared to exclusive machines, due to less machine movement and the need for fewer machines.