FORMEC 2017

DOI: 10.15287/afr.2017.909

Performance of a mid-sized harvester-forwarder system in integrated harvesting of sawmill, pulpwood and firewood

Andrei Ioan Apăfăian, Andrea Rosario Proto, Stelian Alexandru Borz

Andrei Ioan Apăfăian
Department of Forest Engineering, Forest Management Planning and Terrestrial Measurements, Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Transilvania University of Braşov, Şirul Beethoven No. 1, 500123, Braşov, Romania
Andrea Rosario Proto
Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Feo di Vito 89122, Reggio Calabria, Italy
Stelian Alexandru Borz
Department of Forest Engineering, Forest Management Planning and Terrestrial Measurements, Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Transilvania University of Braşov, Şirul Beethoven No. 1, 500123, Braşov, Romania. Email: stelian.borz@unitbv.ro

Online First: December 11, 2017
Apăfăian, A., Proto, A., Borz, S. 2017. Performance of a mid-sized harvester-forwarder system in integrated harvesting of sawmill, pulpwood and firewood. Annals of Forest Research DOI:10.15287/afr.2017.909


Fully mechanized timber harvesting systems are generally characterized by a high operational performance being widespread and used across many regions. Such systems are adaptable to different levels of operational integration, enabling also the recovery of energy wood, but given integration configurations affect their performance. A production study was carried out in a Norway spruce clear-cut aiming to investigate the performance of a mid-sized harvester-forwarder system in general, and the effect that fuelwood recovery from tree tops may have on its performance. Data was collected in the field during 11 days of observation using state-of-art equipment and software. Harvester’s operations were monitored using a digital camera. Data refined from 27.5 filmed hours that accounted for 1045 felled and fully processed trees was used to model and compute its performance indicators. In addition, fuel consumption data was sampled in the field. The results indicated that a delay-free cycle time consumption was affected by variables characterizing the tree size. The net production rate was estimated to about 26.5 m3 ∙ h-1, being substantially affected by supplementary tree-top processing. Forwarding operations were monitored using a handheld computer and a Global Positioning System unit. The delay-free cycle time consumption was affected by forwarding distance and the amount of loaded wood, resulting in a net production rate of about 19.2 m3 ∙ h-1. Under these circumstances, the forwarding performance matched the harvester’s outputs for an extraction distance of about 100 m, indicating that the supplementary processing of the tree-tops had no effect on the system’s productive performance in the studied conditions. Most likely, it affected the harvester’s fuel consumption given its proportion of 9% in the delay-free harvester’s cycle time. The results also indicated a mean fuel consumption of about 1.7 l ∙ m-3 for the studied harvesting system.

Acuna M., Bigot M., Guerra S., Hartsough B., Kanzian C., Kärhä K., Lindroos O., Magagnotti N., Roux S., Spinelli R., Talbot B., Tolosana E., Zormaier F., 2012. Good practice guidelines for biomass production studies. CNR IVALSA Sesto Fiorentino: 51.

Bell J. L., 2001. Changes in logging injury rates associated with use of feller-bunchers in West Virginia. Proceedings of the International Mountain Logging and 11th Pacific Northwest Skyline Symposium, 10 - 12 December 2001, Seattle, Washington, USA, pp. 28-36.

Björheden R., Apel K., Shiba M., Thompson M., 1995. IUFRO Forest work study nomenclature. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Department of Operational Efficiency, Grappenberg: 16.

Borz S.A., Ciobanu V.D., 2013. Efficiency of motor-manual and horse logging in small scale firewood production. African Journal of Agricultural Research 8(24): 3126 - 3135.

Borz S.A., Dinulică F., Bîrda M., Ignea Gh., Ciobanu D.V., Popa B., 2013. Time consumption and productivity of skidding silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) round wood in reduced accessibility conditions: a case study in windthrow salvage logging from Romanian Carpathians. Annals of Forest Research 56(2): 363-375.

Borz S.A., Ignea Gh., Popa B., Iordache E., 2015. Estimating time consumption and productivity of roundwood skidding in group shelterwood system - a case study in a broadleaved mixed stand located in reduced accessibility conditions. Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering 36(1): 137-146.

Borz S.A., Ignea Gh., Vasilescu M.M., 2014. Small gains in wood recovery rate when disobeying the recommended motor-manual tree felling procedures: another reason to use the proper technical prescriptions. Bioresources 9(4): 6938-6949. DOI: 10.15376/biores.9.4.6938-6949

Corella Justavino F., Jimenez Ramirez R., Menza Perez N., Borz S.A., 2015. The use of OWAS in forest operations postural assessment: advantages and limitations. Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov 8(57): 7-16.

Danilović M., Stojnić D., Karić S., Sučević M., 2014. Transport of technical roundwood by forwarder and tractor assembly from poplar plantations. Nova meh. Šumar 35: 11-22.

Dvořák J., Behjou F.K., 2011. Performance standards of medium and high power forwarders. Proceedings of the 44th international symposium on forestry mechanization: Pushing the boundaries with research and innovation in forest engineering, 9-13 October 2011; Graz, Austria.

Gerasimov Y., Senkin V., Väätäinen K., 2012. Productivity of single-grip harvesters in clear-cutting operations in the Northern European part of Russia. European Journal of Forest Research 131(3): 647-657. DOI: 10.1007/s10342-011-0538-9

Ghaffarian M.R., Stampfer K., Sessions J., 2007. Forwarding productivity in southern Austria. Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering 28(2): 169-175.

Glöde D., Sikström U., 2001. Two felling methods in final cutting of shelterwood, single-grip harvester productivity and damage to the regeneration. Silva Fennica 35(1): 71-83. DOI: 10.14214/sf.604

Heinimann H.R., 2012. Life cycle assesment (LCA) in forestry - state and perspectives. Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering 33(2): 357-372.

Hiesl P., Benjamin J.G., 2013. Applicability of international harvesting equipment productivity studies in Maine, USA. Forests 4: 898-921. DOI: 10.3390/f4040898

Holzleitner F., Stampfer K., Visser R., 2011. Utilization rates and cost factors in timber harvesting based on long-term machine data. Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering 32(2): 501-508.

Inoue K., 1996. Operators’ mental strain in operating the high proficient machine. Journal of Forest Research 1(3): 195-197. DOI: 10.1007/BF02348324

Inoue K., Kobayashi H., 1996. Operators’ physical strain in operating the high proficient forestry machines. Journal of Forest Research 1(4): 111-115. DOI: 10.1007/BF02348187

Ionaşcu G., Oprea I., Duţă G., 2006. Harvesting techniques and technologies under the conditions of sustainable forest management. Braşov, Romania: Transilvania University Press, 162 p. [In Romanian].

Laitila J., Väätäinen K., 2013. The cutting productivity of excavator-based harvester in integrated harvesting of pulpwood and energy wood. Baltic Forestry 19(2): 289-300.

Magagnotti N., Spinelli R., 2011. Integrating animal and mechanical operations in protected areas. Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering 32(2): 489-499.

Manner J., Nordfjell T., Lindroos O., 2013. Effects of the number of assortments and log concentration on time consumption for forwarding. Silva Fennica 47(4): 1-19. DOI: 10.14214/sf.1030

Nurminen T., Korpunen H., Uusitalo J., 2006. Time consumption analysis of the mechanized cut-to-length harvesting system. Silva Fennica 40(2): 335-363. DOI: 10.14214/sf.346

Oprea I., 2008. Timber harvesting technology, Braşov, Romania: Transilvania University Press, 273 p. [In Romanian]

Ovaskainen K., Heikkila M., 2007. Visuospatial cognitive abilities in cut-to-length single-grip timber harvester work. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 37(9-10): 771-780. DOI: 10.1016/j.ergon.2007.06.004

Popovici R., 2013. Estimating chainsaw operating costs based on fuel, lubricants and spare parts. Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov 6(55): 63-68.

Rottensteiner C., Tsioras P., Stampfer K., 2012. Wood density impact on hand-arm vibration. Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering 33(2): 303-312.

Spinelli R., Magagnotti N., 2010. Performance and cost of a new mini-forwarder for use in thinning operations. Journal of Forest Research 15(6): 358-364. DOI: 10.1007/s10310-010-0193-x

Spinelli R., Owende P.M.O., Ward S.M., Tornero M., 2004. Comparison of short-wood forwarding systems used in Iberia. Silva Fennica 38(1): 85-94. DOI: 10.14214/sf.437

Stampfer K., Steinmüller T., 2001. A new approach to derive a productivity model for the harvester “Valmet 911 Snake”. In: Proceedings of the International Mountain Logging and 11th Pacific Northwest Skyline Symposium, 10-12 December 2001; Seattle, Washington, USA, pp. 28-36.

Stankić I., Porsinšky T., Tomašič Z., Frintič M., 2012. Productivity models for operational planning of timber forwarding in Croatia. Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering 33(1): 61-78.

Tunay M., Melemez K., 2008. Noise induced hearing loss of forest workers in turkey. Pakistan Journal of Biological Science 11(7): 2144-2148. DOI: 10.3923/pjbs.2008.2144.2148

Visser R., Spinelli R., 2011. Determining the shape of the productivity function for mechanized felling and felling-processing. Journal of Forest Research 17(5): 397-402. DOI: 10.1007/s10310-011-0313-2

Vusić D., Šušnjar M., Marchi E., Spina R., Zečić Z., Picchio R., 2013. Skidding operations in thinning and shelterwood cut of mixed stands - work productivity, energy inputs and emissions. Ecological Engineering 61: 216–223. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2013.09.052


No Supplimentary Material available for this article.
No metrics available for this article.