Speaker
Description
Growing interest in logging residues in Sweden, resulting from geopolitical developments and ambitions for energy independence, has intensified the need for precision planning of wood fuel supply. More than 15 years ago, Skogforsk developed a system that uses harvester production files to forecast volume and location of logging residues at stand level. Implemented through the calculation module “hprCM”, the system is used by several forest companies. Accurate forecasts require that harvester operators correctly distinguish fuel-adapted areas from non-adapted areas. In practice, harvester and forwarders frequently use logging residues to reinforce strip roads and wet areas to prevent soil damage, and such adjustments must be manually registered via the keyboard or touchscreen in the onboard computer.
As part of the Swedish Energy Agency-funded project “Improved forecasts of logging residues for precision planning”, we performed a large‑scale evaluation of the forecasting system. The analysis revealed substantial variability in how contractors used the system and how well the forecasted volumes matched the measured volumes at the heating plants. To better understand the underlying causes, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six experienced harvester operators. The interviews focused on planning, instructions, working methods, system use, and feedback routines connected to logging residues. The results identified several categories of usability issues related to system functionality, instructions, follow-up procedures, and attitudes toward logging residues.
Based on these findings, Skogforsk proposed a set of potential solutions and subsequently organized a workshop to anchor ideas and discuss the proposed measures. The workshop brought together representatives from forestry and energy companies, IT developers, and machine manufacturers, which together identified concrete, implementable solutions which aim to increase the accuracy of precision planning of wood fuel supply. A new follow‑up assessed the progress of implementation, highlighting pathways to improve short‑term forecast accuracy and long‑term processes for working with logging residues.
| Keywords | operator-behavior; usability; precision-planning; HCI |
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