Precision forestry seeks to improve the sustainability and efficiency of forest management by applying new technologies to characterise individual trees. Accurate tree-level characterisation, typically through remote sensing, facilitates optimising timber yield and minimising waste. To that end, optimal bucking methods can be applied given accurate enough estimates of tree features. Among...
Modern cut to length (CTL) harvesters increasingly incorporate positioning information as part of their standard data output. This information ranges from machine traces that continuously log machine movement, to base machine positioning during felling, to the positioning of stumps and, ultimately, each processed log. While high accuracy GNSS receivers with coordinate corrections can...
In Japan, woody biomass power generation is increasing due to the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme. However, woody biomass power generation suffers from low energy efficiency. Therefore, improving energy efficiency through combined heat and power (CHP) generation is being considered. Preferential treatment under the FIT program for small-scale facilities (generating less than 2 MW) has begun, and...
Information about the trafficability of gravel roads is of paramount importance for sustainable, cost-effective, and year-round delivery of timber for industrial use. For heavy vehicles like a timber truck, it is essential that the roads are in a trafficable condition when they are being driven on. The trafficability of forest roads varies depending on the season and weather conditions. Many...
Manual handling in forestry and nursery work involves repetitive low postures, trunk bending, and short-distance load carriage, all of which can elevate the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Passive exoskeletons are sometimes suggested as a practical way to reduce postural exposure and strain, but their effectiveness varies depending on the job. Their effectiveness depends heavily on...
Weather events such as tornados and hurricanes can significantly impact forest stands and create operational challenges for harvesting and utilization. Rapid salvage following events is critical in the southeastern US due to the onset of insect damage and wood discoloration due to blue stain fungus. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene impacted the region as a Category 4 hurricane, with...
improving productivity and operational efficiency. However, despite increasing levels of mechanization, transport-related activities such as log extraction, uphill hauling, load stabilization, and auxiliary water transport continue to expose workers to significant ergonomic and safety risks. Challenging terrain conditions, whole-body vibration, repetitive movements, awkward postures, and time...
The Birds Directive protects wild bird species, their habitats, and prohibits deliberate disturbance during the nesting season. Forest operations—particularly timber harvesting—during the nesting season may have negative impacts on bird habitats, breeding success, and populations. The recent decision of the EU Court of Justice creates a need to specify and clarify national regulations...
In Sweden, half of the forestland is owned by approximately 300,000 individual private forest owners. In total, they spend about 11 million work hours per year on forest management activities in their forests. Each to fulfill their own personal goals with forest ownership. Typical activities are planting, pre-commercial thinning and undergrowth clearance. Contractors are often hired for...
One-third of forestland ownerships in Minnesota are comprised of privately-owned, family forests. The majority (65%) of those family forests are found on less than 8-hectare parcels and the owners of which commonly have alternative land stewardship objectives that differ from traditional forest management goals. Timber harvesting as a management objective is universally low in priority for...
Maintaining the competitiveness of the forest sector requires a holistic understanding of interactions across the forest-to-value chain, particularly within harvesting and transport operations where inefficiencies can propagate system-wide effects. This work presents a conceptual framework based on systems dynamics and systems-based thinking to investigate structural behaviour, feedback...
The use of the cut-to-length method as a wood harvesting system creates a demanding operating environment for harvester operators, especially in the Nordics. In addition to the harvesting method itself, high productivity demands and environmental conditions such as terrain, weather, vibration and cabin tilting increase the demands of the operator’s work. This environment places mental,...
The positive effects of soil preparation on the survival and growth of planted seedlings have been widely known for a long time. However, recent studies have highlighted the importance of developing new technical solutions for soil preparation to mitigate its harmful environmental impacts. For example, particular interest has fallen upon methods that reduce the intensity of soil disturbance...
Overseas studies and emerging data from within Aotearoa New Zealand indicate that those working in forest environments experience a significantly elevated risk of suicide. Yet the limited research conducted within global forest industries has primarily focused on psychosocial conditions and their health impacts, under-recognizing how structural and cultural forces interact to shape workers’...
Norway has a forest road network of 50 000 km, where a single road typically has 4-5 owners. The current road network has been progressively extended since the 1960s. As a result of climate change and transition to heavier timber trucks, maintenance practices are becoming increasingly important.
Over the last decades there has been increased focus on cooperation between forest owners and...
Selecting a timber harvesting system is a context-dependent decision that requires substantial expertise to balance economic performance, environmental impacts, operator safety, and technical feasibility. In practice, system choice is influenced by stand and site conditions (e.g., slope, extraction distances, soil conditions), machine characteristics and operational constraints, and trade-offs...
To mitigate wildfire risk in the western United States, forest fuel treatments such as mechanical thinning and prescribed burning have been widely implemented in fire-prone areas. While these treatments play a critical role in reducing wildfire hazards, they also present both opportunities and challenges. A substantial amount of biomass generated from fuel treatments offers new opportunities...
To ensure the continued functionality and intended purpose of forest road infrastructure, regular maintenance interventions are required. Maintenance operations employ technologies with differing levels of mechanization, which subsequently influence task difficulty and workers’ exposure to occupational noise. The study examined a technological system representative of practices in small...
Working conditions in forests are changing mainly due to the current state of forests as a result of climate change. More deadwood and pre-damaged wood are being felled, and there is more deadwood, especially in the crowns of the deciduous trees to be felled. As the risk increases, so does the potential danger of accidents. The results of the KWF accident statistics...
This study examines the barriers to entry for third-party log truck drivers in the southern United States and situates those barriers within the broader structure of the log trucking workforce. Using a mixed-methods design, a 23-item survey was administered in person at 23 fuel stations, yielding 573 completed responses from company, independent, and third-party drivers in Alabama, Louisiana,...
Traditional forest measurement techniques which are carried out using calipers and diameter tapes are accurate but they require a lot of manual work in large scale operations. The recent advancements in mobile LiDAR technology which can be installed in consumer-grade devices like smartphones and tablets have introduced new possibilities of quick and remote tree measurement. ForestScanner and...
Digitalizing the forest supply chain is essential for building resilient value chains that can handle increasing regulatory and environmental complexity. However, implementation is currently hindered by fragmented systems and breaks in communication between harvesting, logistics, and processing. The lack of integration, which is often caused by proprietary data formats, undermines the digital...
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...
The layout configuration of machinery in forest products manufacturing facilities plays a critical role in occupational health and safety, operational efficiency, and production sustainability. In sawmills, timber processing plants, panel production units, and surface treatment lines, machine placement is generally designed according to production flow and space constraints. However, ergonomic...
