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A significant part of the work carried out so far in the field of production of biocomposite polyurethane foams (PUR) with the use of various types of lignocellulosic fillers mainly concerns rigid PUR foams with a closed-cell structure. In this work, the possibility of using waste wood particles (WP) from primary wood processing as a filler for PUR foams with open-cell structure was investigated. For this purpose, a wood particle fraction of 0.315–1.25 mm was added to the foam in concentrations of 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20%. The foaming course of the modified PUR foams (PUR-WP) was characterized on the basis of the duration of the process’ successive stages at the maximum foaming temperature. In order to explain the observed phenomena, a cellular structure was characterized using microscopic analysis such as SEM and light microscope. Computed tomography was also applied to determine the distribution of wood particles in PUR-WP materials. It was observed that the addition of WP to the open-cell PUR foam influences the kinetics of the foaming process of the PUR-WP composition and their morphology, density, compressive strength and thermal properties. The performed tests showed that the addition of WP at an the amount of 10% leads to the increase in the PUR foam’s compressive strength by 30% (parallel to foam’s growth direction) and reduce the thermal conductivity coefficient by 10%.

The aim of this paper was to determine the particle size composition of wood dust emission from CNC milling of natural wood and medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and evaluate the associated occupational exposure risks. The paper is focused on some of the most commonly used materials in the woodworking and furniture industry, i.e., solid wood (beech, oak, and spruce) and composite materials (MDF panels). In addition to the influence of the machined material, the effect of the technical-technological parameters, namely, feed speed and depth of cut on the particle size distribution, was also investigated. The selected values of the technical-technological parameters used in this study followed the common work practice in small wood processing companies. The particle size distribution was evaluated by using sieve analysis of samples from the total mass of collected wood dust. The results demonstrated that machining of natural wood is characterized mostly by the formation of coarse dust fractions (2 mm–1 mm sieves), whilst the processing of MDF was associated with generation of fine dust fractions with a size below 100 μm. The results obtained can be used for optimizing the technological programs of CNC milling machines, thus, reducing the occupational exposure to harmful wood dust emissions in the wood-processing industry.

The generation of secondary processing mill residues from wood processing facilities is extensive in the United States. Wood flour can be manufactured utilizing these residues and an important application of wood flour is as a filler in the wood–plastic composites (WPCs). Scientific research on wood flour production from mill residues is limited. One of the greatest costs involved in the supply chain of WPCs manufacturing is the transportation cost. Wood flour, constrained by low bulk densities, is commonly transported by truck trailers without attaining allowable weight limits. Because of this, shipping costs often exceed the material costs, consequently increasing raw material costs for WPC manufacturers and the price of finished products. A bulk density study of wood flour (190–220 kg/m3) and wood pellets (700–750 kg/m3) shows that a tractor-trailer can carry more than three times the weight of pellets compared to flour. Thus, this study focuses on exploring the utilization of mill residues from four wood species in Maine to produce raw materials for manufacturing WPCs. Two types of raw materials for the manufacture of WPCs, i.e., wood flour and wood pellets, were produced and a study of their properties was performed. At the species level, red maple 40-mesh wood flour had the highest bulk density and lowest moisture content. Spruce-fir wood flour particles were the finest (dgw of 0.18 mm). For all species, the 18–40 wood flour mesh size possessed the highest aspect ratio. Similarly, on average, wood pellets manufactured from 40-mesh particles had a lower moisture content, higher bulk density, and better durability than the pellets from unsieved wood flour. Red maple pellets had the lowest moisture content (0.12%) and the highest bulk density (738 kg/m3). The results concluded that the processing of residues into wood flour and then into pellets reduced the moisture content by 76.8% and increased the bulk density by 747%. These material property parameters are an important attempt to provide information that can facilitate the more cost-efficient transport of wood residue feedstocks over longer distances.

In wood processing, wood is exposed to an environmental temperature of less than 0 °C for some time, which mainly occurs during the air drying of wood in the winter months, or when lumber is stored in wood piles outdoors before the kiln drying process. In these cases, the wood freezing process increases the degree of freezing of the wood, subsequently significantly affecting the process of its heating during further processing (for example, in the cutting process). The most common method is heating by humid air, during the hot air drying of wood. We analyzed the temperature profiles on a cross-section of wood and moisture losses due to the freezing process and the size of moisture gradients. We compared theoretical calculations of the time required for defrosting and heating of wood with the experimentally measured values. The results show that the moisture content (MC) of wood has a remarkable effect on the wood freezing process. In samples with an average MC of 35.47%, the temperature drop was faster. After 10 h, the temperatures on the entire cross-section of the samples reached the lowest value of −13.2 °C. In samples with an average initial MC of 81.38%, three stages of temperature reduction in the wood were observed. The temperature dropped and the lowest temperature of −20.11 °C was reached after 24 h. The defrosting and heating process of samples with lower MC was significantly easier. The desired temperature of 65 °C in the middle of the samples was reached in 2 h and 20 min. The total time to defrost and heat the second group of samples (MC > FSP) was 3 h 30 min.

The traditional method of appearance defect detection is to rely on the examiner's personnel senses identification, but people's vision is lack of standard, and it is easy to cause false detection or missed detection due to fatigue or inattention. Therefore, the use of automatic optical inspection equipment, is the use of machine vision instead of human eyes to carry out quality inspection, in addition to improving inspection quality and efficiency, but also reduce the cost of human resources, but the cost of automatic optical inspection (AOI) equipment is not low, for the traditional furniture wood processing, economic factors are the biggest obstacle to implement. Another reason is that there are great differences among length, width and height. Generally, the width is much larger than the height. Therefore, the sheet can be put on the conveyer along the length direction. However, for the narrow side, turning and erecting need fixture. There are many ways to solve problems in traditional industrial engineering, such as DMAIC and 8D methodology. Most of them belong to the vertical mode thinking method. This mechanism design uses the lateral mode thinking method, adopts the five stages of design thinking, and creates the auxiliary mechanism design with the principle of prism reflection, which is simple and solves the procedure operation of avoiding turning over and vertical detection. The design can simultaneously detect the front side, left side and right sides of the wood board, and verify the design performance of high efficiency and low cost.

Forestry in Slovakia has recently got very fast tendency of research in all levels. The introduction of complex machines and equipment, the application of new advanced technologies, the tendency to decrease energy consumption, material difficulty of products, requirements on high reliability of machines and automation in operation impose the necessity for the search of theoretical basics for wood production processes and utilization of new developing forest and wood processing techniques. The work with a chain saw is risky and has negative impact on the health of workers. It has been clear from recent findings. The limitation of these impacts has influence on technical, technological and organizational actions serving as preventive ones. That is the reason why the famous chain saw producers established different technical supports which have the influence on decrease of vibrations and noise. It is necessary to realize several actions within the maintenance of chain saws to fulfil the goals of a technical action. The paper deals with risk analysis by usage Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), which was implemented on STIHL motor chainsaw. We identified the potential failures, then we allocated to the value of occurrence, significance and detectability in the process and we also calculated the risk priority number (RPN). Application of the FMEA method allows flexibility in the case of unexpected situations and optimization of human potential abilities. FMEA is a tool preventing outages operational reliability and preventive tool for ensuring the maintenance of facilities. There are several methods of information processing regarding to reliability parameters, but some of them are very difficult and in standard operational conditions are not usable. The method of information analysis mentioned below is simple but precise enough for implementation in real working conditions.

Aiming for mechanical processing with efficiency and performance, robust optimization techniques are important tools. The wood processing encourages these studies, since wood has a heterogeneous behavior during cutting and reacts in a hardly predictable way to process variations. The objective of this work was to find the equilibrium point between the mean and the variance of the cutting energy consumption, thus indicating optimal processing parameters that do not underlie the influence of the moisture variable. For this, 30 boards of Pinus taeda were processed in a planer with a frequency inverter, which allowed to capture the processing data. The control variables for this process were: cutting motor rotation, feed motor rotation and radial depth of cut. With the voltage and current data, the specific energy was calculated. The optimum point for lower power consumption was determined by the mean square error (MSE) where the cutting motor rotation, feed motor rotation and cutting depth values were 1831.38 rpm, 835.22 rpm and 1.16 mm, respectively. Thus, the effect of moisture was neutralized.

Competition in many companies can be measured by the level of productivity of the company. CV. Gavra Perkasa Gresik is a manufacturing company engaged in the wood processing industry, among the products produced is turning. So far, the company has never made productivity measurements so that, if output is low, the company thinks it is not good without analyzing the causes specifically and not paying attention to the efficiency of the use of resources (inputs) that are owned. Productivity measurement to find out how the condition of the company's productivity, whether experiencing an increase or decrease, is necessary to measure productivity using the model Marvin E. Mundel. This measurement is carried out on labor input, material, energy, capital and total input. The data needed for productivity analysis is taken from 2016 as the base period and 2017 as the measurement period. The results of calculation of productivity using the mundel model not all inputs have decreased, causing the company's total productivity to be 98.18% which has a good impact on the company. Keywords: Productivity, CV. Gavra Perkasa, Turning, Marvin E. Mundel

The position of Ukraine and the EU regarding the moratorium which is introduced on the export of rough wood was considered in the paper. The preconditions for introducing a ban of the exports of timber are analyzed. The analysis and generalization of domestic normative legal acts and international commitments of the WTO and Ukraine, including the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), in the field of forestry regulation, is conducted. The actual problems in the forest product industry of Ukraine are found out. The main objective of the article is to propose recommendations for the development of the export policy of timber trade in conditions of European integration that will not contradict the international obligations of Ukraine. Investigations have shown that in the provisions of the GATT and the Association Agreement there are exceptions, which allow non-compliance of commitments in certain extreme cases. However, in adopted bills there is no ample evidence regarding the necessity of applying or restricting exports. Based on international experience, the impact of the export ban on the timber industry as a whole has been determined. It has been established that the wood-based industry receives positive effects only in the short-term period. However, all sectors of forest product industry will be negatively affected in the long-term period. Recommendations on the development of export policy for timber trade by abolishing import duties and value added tax for equipment for forest-based processing enterprises, the analogues of which are not made in Ukraine, for the purpose of modernization of equipment and further development of the forest-based industry, have been given. Based on the experience of European countries, it is proposed to export timber using the “residual method”, that is, primarily to provide raw materials to domestic producers, and to introduce export duties on roundwood production. After analyzing alternative ways of developing Ukraine’s export policy regarding timber trade in conditions of European integration, based on the escalation of tariff and tariff barriers, optimal rates of ad valorem and specific export duties have been proposed. With the justified introduction of export duties, the restriction of domestic consumption of timber, the abolition of import duties on the necessary equipment for wood processing, which are not analogous to those produced in Ukraine, all prerequisites for the development of domestic forestry are created.

Due to their high reactivity, chemical versatility and economic competitiveness, formaldehyde-based poly-condensation adhesives are used in huge amounts - in 2010 in the order of 20 million metric tons - around the globe, primarily in the wood-processing industry. Since the 1970s formaldehyde emissions from products made thereof came under pressure and were reduced continuously. The discussion intensified again initiated by the latest European CLP (classification, labelling and packaging) regulation, which came into force in 2016, classifying formaldehyde as a Carcinogen Category 1B compound. In view of potential and even stronger future restrictions of formaldehyde use, appropriate alternatives to substitute formaldehyde-based adhesive systems such as urea formaldehyde would have to be developed and implemented in the wood processing industry. The present review represents a critical appraisal of formaldehyde-free adhesive systems for particulate wood composites production proposed in literature so far. Adhesive systems analyzed here include both synthetic and renewable-based adhesives. The core of the review is an assessment of the individual adhesive systems based on selected technological (product and process) parameters relevant for wood-particleboard production. Based on this data we evaluated their potential to identify suitable alternative adhesives having a certain probability to meet the requirements of a large-scale processing industry sector. As an overall conclusion, there are still many challenges to overcome to replace formaldehyde. Except for pMDI-based systems, most of the alternative adhesives are considerably less reactive, which would result in dramatically higher production costs. Furthermore, the availability of most components proposed to produce alternative adhesives are currently not available in the necessary quantities. Moreover, toxicological investigations on alternative systems are still missing. As several components replacing formaldehyde are also toxic or hazardous to different extents, it cannot be guaranteed that the individual proposed alternative adhesives are safer during processing and service life compared to conventional systems. Due to the nature of the organic material wood, particleboards will always release a certain amount of formaldehyde, even when produced with formaldehyde-free adhesives.

The present business environment offers a wide scale of production and it is increasingly difficult to find a product standard which can distinguish the producer from competitors. The pressure of lobby groups and legislation arrangements force the society to reflect a need for ecologic and sustainable thinking. The current trend and requirements of EU are the implementation of certified systems and production of wooden products from certified wood. This paper focused on the present situation in the supply of products from certified wood and analyses an exercitation of eco-philosophy in the business of wood processors, the rate of manufacturing of certified wooden products, as well as reasons and benefits of certified production. This paper presents selected results of primary research carried out in Czechia which was focused on the investigation of economic impacts of wood products manufacturing from certified raw wood. All presented results emphasise the need for voluntary market tools with ecologic character. Keywords: Certification system, certified wood, wood processing, eco philosophy.

The aim of the paper is to point out the principles of process management and selected quality management tools, which are aimed at improving the processes of the wood processing industries of the Slovak Republic. The knowledge from these areas is based on the analysis of the theoretical origins from domestic and foreign sources and supported by the results of the research carried out in the first half of the year 2017. In the processing of the results, classical methods of research work were used such as analysis, synthesis, comparison, descriptive statistics, contingency tables, chi-quadrat test and graphic depiction. Based on the analysis of the research results, there was a slight dependence between the process optimization levels in the timber industry and other process improvement methods such as statistical process control methods and graphical analysis and problem solving tools.

CNC cutting process has been mainly used for processing metal materials, and wood processing is also changing to machining by CNC machine. But the researches on the CNC machining of wood and its characteristics were rarely carried out. In this study, we analyzed the machined surface according to the cutting conditions such as the cutting direction, spindle speed, feed rate, cutting depth, chip removal in the CNC machining of wood. The consideration of cutting conditions and their effects on the surface finish will provide possibilities for improving the wood machining processes.

Soluble extractives in wood function to protect living trees from destructive agents and also contribute to wood color and fragrance. Some extractive components have biological activities with medical applications. They also play important roles in wood processing and related applications. To increase the knowledge of wood chemistry, maple and oak were extracted by water. Ultraviolet/visible (UV/vis) spectroscopy indicated the presence of a phenolic compound, resorcinol, in maple extractives having higher molecular mass and more aromatic components than oak extractives. Negative and positive electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI FT-ICR-MS) identified thousands of formulas in the two samples in the m/z range of 200 to 800. They mainly fall into the lignin-like, carbohydrate-like, and tannin-like compound categories. The top 25 peaks (ie, formulas) with the highest relative magnitude in negative ESI represented nearly 50% of the summed total spectral magnitude of all formulas assigned in the maple and oak extractives. Furthermore, the base peak (ie, most abundant peak) accounted for about 14% of the total abundance in each wood sample. Literature comparisons identified 17 of 20 formulas in the top five peaks of the four spectra as specific bioactive compounds in trees and other plants, implying the potential to explore utilization of maple and oak extractives for functional and medicinal applications. The various profiling of the top 25 peaks from the two samples also suggested the possible application of FT-ICR-MS for detecting chemical markers useful in profiling and identification of wood types and sources.

Industrial symbiosis (IS) is an important concept in the field of industrial ecology that has disseminated worldwide as a practice to decrease the ecological impact of industrial processes through the exchange of by‐products and waste between units in a system. The forestry industry is the main economic activity in the region of Lages in southern Brazil. IS relationships have expanded with the use of waste material from wood processing and strengthened cooperation between companies in different sectors. The aims of this article were to: a) quantify the level of IS in the system, b) identify the benefits of IS for participants, and c) explain why the network further developed IS to the formation of an industrial ecosystem. A questionnaire was administered during visits to 24 forestry companies in order to analyze their products and processes, commercial relations, positive impacts, and local insertion. The industrial symbiosis indicator (ISI) was determined using waste stream data from the system to represent the level of symbiosis among the companies in this region. The results show that the companies participate in a symbiotic network, mainly involving the exchange of chips, bark, sawdust and shavings. In most cases, these exchanges occur between nearby companies, constituting an extensive industrial ecosystem.

Efficient operation of modern multifunctional woodworking centers with computer numerical control (CNC) is associated with the creation of rational designs of end milling cutters for multi-axis processing. The research purpose is an experimental study of the dynamic parameters of wood processing with end milling cutters and their influence on the surface roughness depending on the structural elements of the tool. The varying structural elements of the cutters are the cutting edge inclination, the teeth number, the circular pitch irregularity and the presence of chip separation grooves on the cutting edges. A set of experimental milling cutters with various structural elements was used in the research. Cutting experiments were performed under the production conditions with the use of vibration-measuring complex (Bruel & Kjaer). Factorial designs of studies, methods of vibration measurements and processing of vibroacoustic signals are given. The article presents the qualitative assessment of the degree of influence of various structural elements of end milling cutters on the vibractivity of processing pine and oak wood. On average, the vibration level during the processing of oak blanks is higher by 60–75 % in comparison with pine blanks; while the roughness of the treated surface differs only by 10–20 %. A steady correlation between the level of vibrations and the roughness of the treated surface was found. Increasing the cutting edge inclination, the teeth number, as well as the presence of chip separation grooves reduces vibrations and helps to improve the condition of the treated surface for both wood species. The influence of circular tooth pitch irregularity on the studied parameters is ambiguous.For citation: Melekhov V.I., Kremleva L.V., Tyurikova T.V., Sazanova E.V., Luzhansky D.V., Slutskov V.A. Experimental Study of the Woodworking Dynamics with End Milling Cutters. Lesnoy Zhurnal [Forestry Journal], 2019, no. 4, pp. 146–158. DOI: 10.17238/ issn0536-1036.2019.4.146

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are business activities that contribute to improving economic conditions, especially the rural economy. However, the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) is very slow in competition with large companies in the era of free trade and globalization. Therefore all problems must be found the best solution with various efforts so that MSMEs perform well. The purpose of this study was to analyze and determine the improvement in the performance of MSMEs in Serenan, Juwiring District, Klaten Regency by observing both the influence of internal and external factors partially or jointly. The research methodology used is quantitative descriptive type. through the Survey directly to the research location, the population of this study was wood processing MSMEs (furniture) which were in Serenan, Juwiring, Klaten Regency totaling 34 producers. The sample in this study is a population of 34 producers. While the sampling technique used was the census of all producers in the Serenan Sub-District which numbered 34 questionnaire answers. The results showed that the performance of MSMEs in Serenan, Juwiring, Klaten Regency was significantly influenced by internal factors (consisting of aspects of HR, financial aspects, production aspects and marketing aspects) and external factors (aspects of government policy, aspects of socio-economic aspects and related institutions) both partially and together.

Furniture industry represents the most efficient and profitable form of superior capitalization of wood, having the greatest added value in the wood processing industry. In this paper we make a motion for presenting the method of calculating costs per order and its positioning as compared to other methods of managing the costs, as well as applying the method in a big entity in wood industry in Romania. The case study presents entirely the appliance of the method of calculating costs per order and aims to conclude its efficiency in the costs\' management process in the Romanian wood industry. We opine that despite the fact that the method of calculating costs per order is a classical one, having certain assumed limits it has a special utility in the sector due to the activity\'s specifics of furniture manufacturing. By applying the method per order in the wood industry from Romania, a good run-down and integration is made concerning the expenses incurred by manufacturing, as well as their reflection in a trusty way in the managerial accounting.

It can be said that Integrated Information Systems (IIS) are a fundamental operating tool in modern business systems and form the basis of successful company management. The goal of our research was to determine the IT level of business operations in Croatian wood processing industry and to assess how significant it has been in enhancing its business performance. A survey method was used to collect data, which resulted in gathering predominantly small and medium-sized companies. Our results indicate an average use of IIS modalities among surveyed companies. Using cluster analysis, three types of companies were identified with respect to the degree of system implementation. Analysis of financial benefits of the IIS implementation did not find any statistically significant relationship. However, subjective impressions on non-financial indicators show that companies in all three clusters see the greatest benefit of IIS in the improved inventory efficiency and sales efficiency., Možemo reći da su integrirani informacijski sustavi (IIS) temeljni operativni alat u modernim poslovnim sustavima i čine osnovu uspješnog upravljanja poduzećem. Cilj našeg istraživanja bio je utvrditi razinu informatizacije poslovanja u hrvatskoj drvoprerađivačkoj industriji i ocijeniti koliko je ona važna za poboljšanje poslovnih rezultata poduzeća. Za prikupljanje podataka primijenjena je anketna metoda, koja je rezultirala odzivom pretežito malih i srednjih poduzeća. Naši rezultati upućuju na osrednju upotrebu modaliteta unutar IIS-a u anketiranim poduzećima. Klasterskom su analizom identificirana tri tipa poduzeća s obzirom na stupanj integracije sustava. Analiza financijskih koristi implementacije IIS-a nije se pokazala statistički značajnom. Međutim, subjektivni dojmovi o nefinancijskim pokazateljima govore da poduzeća u sva tri klastera vide najveću korist IIS-a u poboljšanju učinkovitosti upravljanja zalihama i poboljšanju učinkovitosti prodaje.

The working capacity of the logging and wood processing equipment feeding mechanisms is determined by the achievable coupling of the roller’s working elements with the movable blanks. The coupling stability depends significantly on the geometry specified in the design and implemented in manufacturing and physicochemical properties of the materials of tenons that capture, hold and continuously move the blanks into the processing zone. During operation, the geometrical parameters of tenons are changing due to wearing out, which is a result of a complex set of mechanical, chemical, thermal and other influences that accompany friction and deformation interaction of working elements of feeders and movable wood. Worn down tenons do not provide reliable movement of a blank, due to its slippage, which causes quality reduction of final products and leads to intensification of the cutting tool wearing out. At the same time the features of influence of tenon geometrical form on the mating forces of feeding rollers with movable blanks in conditions of development of the tribotechnical characteristics, which provide their working capacity, are not studied sufficiently for the practical use. Therefore, the research purpose is to clarify the conditions of friction-mechanical interaction of working elements of rollers with wood and to identify patterns of wearing out of tenon working surfaces, which allows theoretically substantiate their rational geometrical shape and requirements for the physicochemical characteristics of recommended materials. The acting load’s principles realized in the zone of contact of the metal surfaces of tenons with wood at displacement of blanks are considered for these purposes. The process of the force interaction change of tenons with blanks is shown beginning with the moment of contact of a certain tenon until it leaves the coupling. Its analysis showed that already at the beginning of the contact the shock bending load begins to act on the top of a tenon. The load in case of peak values often leads to wearing out by crumbling sufficiently large microvolumes of the feeding tenons. The probability of development of such fracture pattern is the greatest with insufficient strength of the using material and pre-sence of structural defects, especially unfavorably located microcracks, and the action of dangerous tensile residual stresses. These factors also significantly affect the corrosion-mechanical wearing out of the working surfaces of tenons and their resistance movement in wood. Thus, the main factor of effective transportation of a blank to the processing zone and achievement of high wearing resistance of feeding rollers is optimization the tenon geometry, properties of the assigned materials and technology of strengthening treatment of the concerned details. For citation: Pamfilov E.A., Pilyushina G.A., Sheveleva E.V., Prozorov Ya.S., Pyrikov P.G. Improving the Feeder’s Working Capacity of Timber Processing Equipment. Lesnoy Zhurnal [Forestry Journal], 2019, no. 2, pp. 102–110. DOI: 10.17238/issn0536-1036.2019.2.102

According to the indicators of a forestry enterprise typical for the Male Polissya of Ukraine, multiple regression models for such general indicators of the efficiency of the use of fixed assets as capital productivity, capital-labour ratio and fund profitability (dependent variables) were constructed. The authors have identified the most important factors (independent variables) influencing the value of dependent variables, which include as follows: the volume of wood harvesting, thousand cubic meters (Х1); the volume of wood processing products, thousand UAH (Х2); net income from sales of products, thousand UAH (Х3); average monthly salary of employees of the enterprise, UAH (Х4). A preliminary econometric analysis of models was carried out: correlation fields and graphs of dependence between all independent and dependent variables were constructed; pair coefficients of correlation were calculated, and the force (density) of the relationship between all variables of the models was evaluated as well. The analysis showed that factors of Х2, Х3 and Х4 significantly affected by capital productivity and capital-labour ratio, while the fund profitability is only the independent variables Х3 and Х4. The volume of wood harvesting (Х1) is found not to affect all three dependent variables, and the volume of wood processing products (Х2) is proved to have a weak effect on the fund profitability. With the help of stepwise regression analysis, namely, the stepwise removal of variables, adequate regression models were constructed. The significance of the models were generally estimated by Fisher's F-statistics, and the model parameters were estimated by Student's t-statistics with the confidence probability p = 0.95. The final equation of capital productivity contains two independent variables – Х2 and Х3. The final equation of capital-labour ratio contains one independent variable – Х4. The final equation of fund profitability also contains only one independent variable – Х3. Models were tested for multicollinearity, heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation. The constructed models can be used to improve the planning of the use of fixed assets of the forest enterprises of Male Polissya. The proposed method can also be used to develop appropriate models for any forestry enterprise.

In the last decades, the energy policy of European Union (EU) has fostered the use of biomass from forests and outside forests for energy purposes. Firstly, the Green Paper on renewable energies of the European Commission, then, the Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, the objectives of reducing the greenhouses gases (GHG) emissions and increasing the share of final consumption covered by renewable sources have been established. In this context, the present study investigated the flow of wood residues for energy use in the Trentino province - involving 82 wood processing enterprises (74% of total enterprises) and 22 biomass energy plants (85% of total biomass energy plants) - and quality of raw material used. The results show that in the Trentino province 100% of wood residues produced by wood processing enterprises are sold in the market (90.6%) or re-used within the enterprise (9.4%). Concerning the biomass sold on the market, 46% of wood biomass is marketed within the Trentino province, while 54% is marketed outside the province (Bolzano province, Veneto and Lombardy region). The biomass energy plants mainly use woodchips from forest and sawmills (86%), while sawdust and bark cover the remaining 10% and 4%, respectively. The biomass energy plants sample involved in the survey buys mainly raw material from traders (42.5%) followed by wood processing enterprises (34.3%) and forest enterprises (23.2%). Regarding the quality of wood biomass, only 54.5% of biomass energy plants sample checks the water content, while 41% buy certified woodchips. The results of this study highlight that forest-wood chain in the Trentino province is efficient in re-using wood residues produced in accordance with the principles of the circular bioeconomy, while there are still margins for improvement about the controls of the quality of raw materials used and to enhance of wood products of high added value (bio-textiles, bio-plastics).

Long-term financial analysis is an important tool for assessing the financial position of a company and/or sector. The aim of the research was to analyze selected financial indicators of the Slovenian wood industry in sub-sectors C16 (wood processing – except furniture) and C31 (manufacture of furniture) for the last 10 years (from 2007-2016). The efficiency evaluation was performed by DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) window analysis. Other comparisons between two sub-sectors were performed by analysis of time series of financial indicators and by t-test. We have analyzed 40 financial indicators, 15 of which in more detail. Some models, analyzed by DEA method, show relative deterioration in efficiency in the years 2007-2010, but in most cases efficiency has increased in recent years. With this, we have proven that the efficiency of both sub-sectors is improving. For all models, the performance of the sub-sector C16 is better than that of C31. It has been proven by t-test that the difference between these two sub-sectors is statistically significant, as differences of more than half of the financial indicators between the two sub-sectors are statistically significant. Therefore, improvements in profitability ratios at the company’s level should be done and appropriate measures within the sectoral economic policies should be taken to achieve the conditions needed for greater efficiency and success., Dugoročna financijska analiza važan je alat za procjenu financijskog stanja poduzeća i/ili sektora. Cilj istraživanja bio je analizirati odabrane financijske pokazatelje slovenske drvne industrije posljednjih deset godina (2007. – 2016.) u podsektorima C16 (prerada drva – osim namještaja) i C31 (proizvodnja namještaja). Procjena učinkovitosti provedena je primjenom analize omeđivanja podataka (DEA – Data Envelopment Analysis). Ostale usporedbe dvaju podsektora obavljene su analizom vremenskih serija financijskih pokazatelja i t-testom. Analizirano je 40 financijskih pokazatelja, od kojih 15 detaljno. Neki modeli analizirani DEA metodom pokazuju relativno pogoršanje učinkovitosti u razdoblju 2007. – 2010., ali se u većini modela učinkovitost tijekom posljednjih nekoliko godina povećala. Time je dokazano da se učinkovitost obaju podsektora poboljšava. Za sve je modele učinak podsektora C16 bolji od učinka podsektora C31. Primjenom t-testa dokazana je statistički značajna razlika između dva promatrana podsektora jer su razlike statistički značajne za više od polovice financijskih pokazatelja koji se odnose na ta dva podsektora. Stoga je potrebno poboljšati omjer profitabilnosti na razini poduzeća i uvesti odgovarajuće mjere u sklopu sektorskih ekonomskih politika kako bi se postigli uvjeti za veću učinkovitost i uspjeh.

This paper presents the results of an experimental study that explores the ignition and combustion of composite fuels based on wood processing and oil production wastes. By the example of a typical developed industrial region, it is shown how numerous of wood processing wastes (sawdust) and oil production wastes (sludge) may be effectively recovered. We study the main time characteristics (ignition delay and combustion duration) of fuel combustion, heat release, anthropogenic emissions. The values of relative efficiency (taking into account energy, environmental and economic indicators) of waste-derived composite fuels are defined in comparison with fuel oil and coal. The optimal concentration of components – 50% of sawdust, 25% of oil component, and 25% of water – allows the maximum efficiency of fuel combustion. In terms of minimizing the cost of ignition, the best is the mixture of 30% of sawdust and 70% of heavy oil. The research findings illustrate the great prospects for the large-scale involvement of numerous wastes in the fuel and energy cycle of any industrially developed region of the world.

Energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remains a challenging issue at the midway point to the United Nations’ development goals. From the perspective of energy efficiency and diversification of power-generation sources, this paper investigates the capacity of the wood-processing industry to contribute to the decentralised power generation by performing a techno-economic analysis of the use of wood residues for cogeneration. Using a survey performed in Cameroon as a case study, a biomass-fuelled cogeneration scheme and a model analysing its viability are proposed for the specific context of SSA. A sensitivity analysis indicates for a given process efficiency of the industry, the attractiveness of cogeneration as the processing capacity and feed-in tariffs of electricity increase. More specifically, the threshold of feed-in tariffs ensuring the economic viability of CHP in the sub-region is estimated at $0.15 per kWh for mills where the output capacities of sawn timber products are of 5000 cubic metre per annum and more. The power-generation potential from the primary processing of timbers in the sub-region is about 388 kWh per cubic metre of sawn wood, while the energy intensity of the sawing process is estimated at 132 kWh per cubic metre. Therefore, the industry can generate up to 2472 GWh of electricity in the three sub-regions of East, West and Central Africa if a total of US$ 2.5 billion is invested, allowing a substantial increase of 1% of the current electricity-generation capacity for the geographic location which has the most important forestry resources on the continent.

Being a natural, ecological and renewable resource, wood is increasingly replacing artificial and toxic materials in the manufacture of various types of packaging and other products; thus, its proper and economically justified use has become necessary. The best utilization of wood raw materials has been sought both in practice and theory, which led to the development of a number of non-destructive and semi-destructive methods for the wood quality assessments in various stages of wood exploitation. In this paper, two instruments for the inspection of the internal condition of standing trees were analyzed. The resistograph was designed for the detection of internal defects. In addition to assessing the condition of living trees of different species, the instrument is used to assess the wood density in various materials. The observed resistance during drilling is proportional to the change in the wood density or the relative mass of the element analyzed. The results of drilling in different spots or directions, through the cross-section and along the element, can be used to map the properties of the element. The fractometer is a device designed to measure the strength and other mechanical properties of on a core sample extracted by using an increment borer from a certain part of the tree or branch examined. The fractometer can determine the maximum fracture force and bending and pressure strength of wood. It is also possible to identify the stage of decay. Due to its heterogeneous structure and anisotropy, the wood compressive and bending strengths differ between different anatomical directions even within a single species. The results of previous research in the literature indicate that there is a significant positive correlation between the radial bending strength and the longitudinal compressive strength of wood. This actualizes the need for the use of different tree species in construction, depending on the load that the wood element will be exposed to. These devices provide high precision and quality in measurement and can achieve a good correlation between the measured values and the mechanical properties of wood. This way, science and practice could be provided by significant data on the properties and quality of wood, while its consumption is minimized.

For the moment, the priority for the development of forestry is the provision of continuous, non-exhaustive and rational use of forest resources. In spite of this, logging residues, i.e. brushwood, twigs, tree tops, butt end and cull wood, which are unavoidably formed due to logging processes, are ploughed and burned. Analysis of this type of logging debris showed that logging residues are up to 18% of the total wood biomass and they are potential raw materials for obtaining woodchips for fuel and other types of products. The study presents evidence-based and experimentally confirmed possibility of obtaining woodchips for fiber board, pulp and paper industry. The influence of the wood species and the type of logging residues on the quality indicators of chip was established.

The sources, levels and health risks of volatile organic compounds emitted from the entire furniture manufacturing process in workshops were investigated. A probabilistic health assessment model was established to estimate the health risks of workers and managers caused by VOCs (volatile organic compounds) based on the inhalation risk model and the Monte Carlo method. Sensitivity analyses and uncertainty analyses were implemented to screen out the crucial input parameters and to identify the possible influential factors in the evaluation process. The results demonstrate that the highest concentration of VOCs occurs in the topcoating process, followed by the veneering, undercoating, edge bonding, polishing varnish, drying, and paint mixing processes. Overall, a total of 17 VOCs, including aromatic hydrocarbons, alkanes, halogenated alkanes, ketones, and saturated aliphatic esters, exist in 7 VOC emission processes in the wood processing workshop and the painting workshop. For health impacts, workers in the topcoating, undercoating, and veneering positions suffer the greatest carcinogenic risks, with mean values above 1.00E-05, which mainly originate from ethylbenzene, dichloromethane, and benzene. The carcinogenic risks in other positions are relatively lower and are in the sequence of polishing varnish, paint mixing, drying, and edge bonding. Sensitivity analyses indicated that exposure duration had the greatest impact on carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk, with an average contribution of 0.78 and 0.93, respectively. These comprehensive evaluations for exposure level and health risk can yield insight into the occupational hazards of VOC emissions and will contribute to informed decision-making related to abatement measures and risk management in furniture manufacturing workplaces.

Deforestation in Vietnam is among the most serious in the world, with many causes but the main reason is not seeing the importance of the forestry sector. Authorities seem to be "crazy loving" the GDP indicator, so it seems that everything is compared to GDP; If the ratio of a certain industry in GDP is low, it seems that the industry is not important enough! This study tries an attempt to estimate distribution of forestry to economy and environmental. This study uses an input - output system to highlight the importance of the forestry sector not only to the environment but also to the economy. The results from this analysis show that about 90% of the forest products are used for intermediate consumptions (for production) and only 10% for final uses, especially timber products. The imported value of the forest sector accounted for 43.76%, implying a need to change the plantation structure to increase the high value of timber from long rotation plantation forest to meet domestic and export demands. Researching also shows that in order to increase the value of timber exports, particular attention should be paid to the structure of the plantation forest towards converting to long rotation plantation forest. In term of environmet, the results show the role of afforestation in reducing emission. Moreover, the production of timber and wood processing sector also stimulates the planting and tending sector. Therefore, encouraging these sectors will spill over reducing emission.

This article presents an original method of assessing the influence of the factor of transborder clustering on the economic and demographic dynamics of the Leningrad oblast territories. It is shown that the economic potential is primarily focused in towns (especially in district centers), as well as in rural settlements neighboring St. Petersburg. Amid the crisis trends evident since summer—autumn 2014, the majority of settlements hosting the components of transborder clusters (in areas such as shipbuilding, machinery industry, wood processing, pharmaceuticals industry, IT technology, etc.) increased their tax base and, at the same time, showed a positive demographic dynamics; the clusters themselves in this generally adverse situation (in the presence of currency and finance turbulence, opposition to sanctions, and, consequently, a reduction in export and import operations), demonstrate an ability to adapt and represent a significant factor of the territory’s socioeconomic resistance.

Un método de secado muestra su efectividad a través de la coincidencia entre el contenido de humedad final y el deseado, siempre en relación con el uso que tendrá el producto terminado; es decir, constituye un eslabón esencial del procesamiento de la madera y el primer valor agregado aplicado en la cadena productiva. En el presente trabajo se describe un protocolo para optimizar el rendimiento de los recursos humanos y materiales disponibles para el secado de madera en estufa, proceso en el que, de manera “tradicional”, se introduce la madera aserrada al equipo y se aplican los programas de secado especificados por el fabricante. El procedimiento planteado se basa en los siguientes criterios fundamentales: apilado, operación de la estufa y programa de secado. Los trabajadores involucrados evaluaron el desarrollo de los cambios propuestos (mejora continua) en distintos tiempos, con la valoración de las variables definidas y en diferentes periodos. La modificación de las variables se advirtió desde la segunda medición. Se generaron inconformidades laborales, ya que el trabajo se torna más lento al demandar mayor cuidado, y como se paga por lo que se hace, no existe conveniencia económica para los operarios que regresan a trabajar a la forma tradicional. Se propone crear una política de control de calidad en la que se recompense a los operarios a medida que aporten mejoras al proceso de secado.

The article deals with the problem automation of such resource-saving technologies as the use of short cuttings from the sawmill and wood processing industry. The existing equipment glues such sawn timber along the length using special marking devices, which reduces the accuracy of determining the location of wood defects and reduces the speed of the saw units. The method automating the process of recognizing wood defects, using optical and ultrasonic analysis of its structure, will make it possible to determine with high accuracy flaws in lumber and cut them out without using marking devices.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are main generators of employment and economic development in European Union. In Croatia and Slovenia, SMEs in wood processing (C16) and furniture manufacturing (C31) also play an important role in social cohesion and development of rural areas. The aim of this research was to investigate the current situation in SMEs in wood processing and furniture manufacturing regarding driving parameters of business and production management system in the time of a disturbed market situation caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Two different questionnaires in an e-mail survey were used to collect data for this research from companies and from experts in the field of management, production and marketing. Various statistical tests were used using seven driving parameters on data collected from 212 SMEs. Also, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used on the data collected from 20 experts. Results showed that companies in the time of pandemic crisis and during the time of major disturbances in supply chain pay the most attention to their production program and quality of their products, and then to marketing activities and situation on the market. According to the results presented in this research, the management model can help SMEs managers, micro and small enterprises in particular, to improve their decision-making process, make the necessary innovations easier and faster, and maintain the sustainable business and production management system of their companies.

The current requirements put on the Member States of the European Union (“EU”) in the area of sustainability and climate-neutral economy through strategic visions such as “Agenda 2030” or “A Clean planet for all” demonstrate the increasing need for quick identification of the changes required in the use of renewable and nonrenewable natural resources. Forests are a particular specific area of such changes. They represent a part of the ecosystem that is important for society from the economic, social, and environmental perspectives. Current climate changes have had a negative effect on the state of forestry in the Czech Republic and have raised many questions of how to ensure its sustainability. Besides the changes in forestry, the situation has also affected the sector primarily depending on the production function of forests and whose coexistence is conditioned. Taking specific sectors as examples, the article presents some prospects that could result in more efficient use of resources and defines potential synergic effects. Analyses of primary and secondary information sources were used to create preferential models (the term “preferential” in the context of the article represents opportunities through which it is possible to achieve an improvement in competitiveness and market advantage over the current model of wood processing and timber trade in the Czech Republic. The model works with potential perspectives and respects the challenges in the field of sustainable development) of timber and wood raw material production and processing and preferential and of economic efficiency (the term “efficiency” in the article represents the technical efficiency of the use of resources to achieve maximum economic benefit and added value. The aim is to increase the economic potential of individual sectors of primary and secondary processing in relation to timber sources) of woodworking businesses. The production model indicates that the energy use of wood, the expansion of the production mix in construction, the use of biomass and digestate in agroforestry, and the logging waste recovery are the most prospective sectors. The model presenting preferential areas in the woodworking industry development with respect to sustainability identified the need to increase associated production and material efficiency in construction and energy sectors, as well as insufficient activity of the sectors associated with technological innovations, FSC and PEFC certification prospects, bioeconomy and circular economy, a considerable need for wage growth in the sector and increased use of the existing production capacities by both domestic and foreign sales.

The wood processing industry produces a significant amount of wood waste. Biomass valorization through pyrolysis has the potential to increase the added value of wood wastes. Pyrolysis is an important thermochemical process that can produce solid, liquid, and gas products. This paper aims to review the pyrolysis of wood wastes from Indonesia, including teak wood (Tectona grandis), meranti (Shorea sp.), sengon (Paraserianthes falcataria (L) Nielsen), and rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis). The review is based on an in-depth study of reliable literatures, statistical data from government agencies, and direct field observations. The results showed that pyrolysis could be a suitable process to increase the added value of wood waste. Currently, slow pyrolysis is the most feasible for Indonesia, with the main product of charcoal. The efficiency of the slow pyrolysis process can be increased by harvesting also liquid and gaseous products. The use of the main product of pyrolysis in the form of charcoal needs to be developed and diversified. Charcoal is not only used for fuel purposes but also as a potential soil improvement agent.

This work is devoted to the study of the effect of ultraviolet rays for the surface activation of pine wood thermally modified at temperatures of 180−240 °C in order to increase the surface roughness, enhance the wettability of thermal wood and the adhesive strength of the glue in the production of wood block furniture panels. Studies were carried out to measure the contact angle of wettability of thermally modified wood samples of pine, as a result of which it was determined that the ultraviolet treatment process contributes to an increase in the adhesion properties of the surface layer of thermally modified wood by more than 13% due to the reactivity of ultraviolet rays to oxidize and degrade ligno-containing wood products. At the same time, the most active process of surface activation takes place during 60 min of ultraviolet irradiation of wood with a total irradiation of at least 125 W/cm2. It was revealed that the combined effect of two-stage wood processing, including preliminary volumetric thermal modification followed by surface ultraviolet treatment, causes an increase in the moisture resistance of glued wood products by 24%. So, if the strength of the glue seam when gluing natural wood samples after boiling decreased by 46%, then the samples that underwent two-stage processing showed a decrease only by 22%. In connection with the results obtained, an improved technology for the production of furniture boards for the manufacture of moisture-resistant wood products is proposed.