Speakers
Description
Eucalyptus coppice management remains strongly dependent on motor-manual operations performed with combustion-engine chainsaws, despite their well-documented environmental and ergonomic limitations. These tools contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and increase operator exposure to noise and hand–arm vibration, raising concerns regarding both sustainability and occupational health. The electrification of motor-manual forest operations has emerged as a promising alternative; however, its performance under real field conditions remains insufficiently quantified. This study presents a field-based assessment of electric motor-manual operations for sprout selection in Portuguese eucalyptus coppice. Conventional operations using combustion-engine chainsaws are directly compared with battery-powered alternatives, including electric chainsaws and electric pruning saws, under representative operational conditions. A multi-criteria evaluation framework is applied, integrating productivity analysis (time-and-motion studies), ergonomic assessment (including hand–arm vibration exposure, noise levels, physical workload, working postures, and perceived discomfort), greenhouse gas emissions quantification, and simplified life-cycle cost analysis. Operational quality is further evaluated through post-operation field inspections of stump characteristics and sprout selection accuracy. The results will provide robust empirical evidence on the technical, environmental, economic, and ergonomic performance of electric motor-manual equipment in silvicultural operations. By explicitly quantifying trade-offs and synergies across these dimensions, this study advances current understanding of the role of electrification in forest operations. The findings will support informed decision-making and contribute to the transition toward low-emission, ergonomically optimized forest operations in the Portuguese forestry sector.
| Keywords | productivity; ergonomics; eucalyptus coppice |
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