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Productivity assessment studies are essential in forest operations, mainly because their results enable operational planning and rate setting, the development of equitable payment systems, the assessment of environmental performance, the assessment of improvements brought by technology development, and the optimization of larger forest-based systems. This study examines productive performance and fuel consumption in farm-tractor based skidding operations implemented in flat terrain oak harvesting by developing detailed statistics and predictive models on skidding performance. Two felling areas were selected to monitor the operations, and detailed statistics and predictive models were developed at two resolutions by an end-to-end assessment. Based on 56 observed work cycles, and for average values of the number of logs, payload volume, winching distance and extraction distance of 4.96, 1.81 m3, 14.43 m, 177.3 m, respectively, the net efficiency and productivity rates of skidding operations were estimated at 0.125 h/m3 and 8.03 m3/h, respectively. At the resolution of piece-by-piece winching, winching time depended only on the winching distance. At the resolution of overall skidding operations, the skidding time depended on the number of logs in a payload and average winching and extraction distances. The same predictors were relevant in explaining the fuel consumption in skidding operations, which accounted for 3.72 L/h or 0.46 L/m3, while there was a variation in fuel consumption induced by the type of operation. Both efficiency and productivity were found to be highly sensitive to the operational distances, as the main factors affecting them. Nevertheless, significant improvements in efficiency, productivity, and fuel consumption may be achieved when dealing with fewer logs per turn and higher volumes per piece, since the models indicated no effects brought in fuel and time consumption by the log size, and the technical limits of the used winched reached 8.5 tons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduction of Green House Gases (GHG) emissions represents a challenge for today's industries (as it is stated by the Kyoto Protocol) as a prerequisite for the sustainable development and environment protection. Usually, the latter are regarded as complementary strategies in attaining the overall goal. Timber harvesting represents one of the most technical components of the overall timber production process. In most cases it is realized using heavy machinery which is deployed in mature stands to be harvested. The participation level of the machinery tends to increase in the case of stands from which the primary production results. Due to the increased densities of the stands (in thinning), animal means are used, frequently, for timber logging, which can be associated with increased capacity mechanized means. This paper presents an evaluation of production efficiency, fuel consumption, costs and carbon emissions using comparisons between animal logging and mechanized logging means. As resulted from the study, the utilization of animal logging is less efficient from the productive and cost point of view but it is cleaner (no carbon emissions). Data presented in this paper may provide the necessary tools for developing policies related to timber harvesting and carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transportation of renewable wood is increasing, being a necessary operation in logistics of the environmentally sustainable forest industry. However, increasing the transportation capacity is a source of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to trucks' emissions, maintaining road infrastructure affects the environment by the emissions of increasing utilization of HCT (high-capacity transportation), that is, larger and heavier vehicles, affecting the backhauling transportation and the efficiency of road-network combinations. Environmental efficiency is an important metric which is used for comparisons among technological alternatives employed in the utilization of energy derived from both fossil and renewable resources. Based on the enterprise resource planning (ERP) data (2018–2020), CO2 emissions of increasing HCT were calculated for a forest industry corporation. The reduction in average fuel consumption (ml t × km−1), between 52% and 70% in backhauling transportation, was 18.88%. In this respect, CO2 emissions were reduced by 4.52 g t × km−1, achieving 19.48 g t × km−1, based on the data from the 76 t vehicle combinations. Furthermore, the metric of total environmental efficiency shows the potential of the alternative road-network combinations for the HCT. The environmental efficiency of the 92 t HCT increased by 11% via an intensive road-network combination, compared to the most efficient 76 t HCT alternative and the efficiency increased by 21%, compared to the most efficient line-hauling alternative. Thus, the results are in favor of the backhauling transportation by the means of 92 t vehicles for HCT development. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis demonstrates that technological improvement of the forest roads is essential for HCT in an increasing harvesting of renewable wood energy. Also, to achieve the maximum environmental efficiency of the HCT during upgrading of the forest roads, efficiency measurements of the HCT should be implemented in the transportation planning systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood transportation is an important source of greenhouse gas emissions, which should be considered when the carbon neutrality of the forest industry is of concern. The EU is dedicated to improving technology for a carbon-neutral development. This study investigates carbon neutrality by improving road freight transportation fleets consisting of various vehicle size combinations. The environmental emission and energy efficiency of a transportation fleet were analyzed in selected wood procurement regions of Stora Enso corporation (Finland). Based on the enterprise resource planning (ERP) data (2018–2020), the environmental emission efficiency increased by 11% via 76 t-vehicles compared 64 t vehicles. The maximum reduction in fuel consumption was 26% for 92 t vehicles, though this was achieved when operations were fully adjusted to the maximum weight limit. The wood-based energy efficiency measure (wood energy/transport energy) was a useful development indicator. It showed that the adapted fleets of transportation companies support a positive development for a carbon-neutral forestry. In respect to the current legal fleet (64, 68 and 76 t), the use of 76 t vehicles increased energy efficiency most effectively, by 50%, compared to 64 t vehicles in the best region. Currently, transportation service providers and their clients are using ERP information to tailor their energy efficiency metric and to implement them locally in the transportation monitoring systems. A three-year sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the technological development of management tools to improve transportation efficiency is essential for larger and heavier vehicle utilization. In the future, the whole wood supply chain from forest to factory will also be optimized with respect to energy efficiency criterion to ensure a low-carbon forest industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]