OSCAR for improved Nordic R&D co-operation in the field of operation systems in forestry

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1 Forestry Studies Metsanduslikud Uurimused 45, , 2006 OSCAR for improved Nordic R&D co-operation in the field of operation systems in forestry Magnus Thor Thor, M OSCAR for improved Nordic R&D co-operation in the field of operation systems in forestry. Forestry Studies Metsanduslikud Uurimused 45, ISSN Abstract. On the initiative of the Nordic forest research institutes Metla, Metsäteho, Skogforsk (now Skog og Landskap), Skogforsk and Skov & Landskab (now KVL), a network was formally started in The network, called OSCAR, is one of five centres of advanced research financed by SNS. OSCAR aims at increasing the excellence and critical mass of R&D within the field of operations systems by integrating research resources and expertise. Furthermore, OSCAR should promote, initiate and develop efficient, competitive and environmentally friendly forest operation systems on a joint Nordic basis, with special emphasis on technology and support systems. Apart from the founders, Silava in Latvia has joined OSCAR activities so far. Representatives from the institutes have identified the following research areas of high priority for OSCAR: Forest energy, Machine systems/concepts, Mechanization of pre-commercial treatment, Low-impact logging, Transport (technology, fleet/system design, raw-material handling) and Quality control in forest operations. As for forest energy and machine concepts, these areas have been given top priority. OSCAR will also secure the continuity of the NSR biennial conference, which is sponsored by SNS via OSCAR. On the conference, this presentation provided an update of OSCAR activities, and also an invitation for Nordic and Baltic researchers to take part. Key words: forest operations, network Author s address: Skogforsk (The Forest Research Institute of Sweden), Uppsala Science Park, SE UPPSALA, Sweden, magnus.thor@ skogforsk.se Introduction Two of the main processes in the forestry sector are 1) to manage the forest resource in order to satisfy the needs of future generations, and 2) the harvest of the forest crops and the supply of the relevant industry processes with raw materials in accordance with their present needs, environmental restrictions, and public demands. Both these simultaneous processes are dependant on well designed and efficient operation systems. Ever since the completion of mechanization in large-scale forestry, there has been a down-sizing of research on forest operations in the Nordic countries. In parallel, the whole system for technical innovation and development within forest operations has changed: the buyers and users of forest machines are not forest companies anymore, but to a high degree relatively small contractors. Furthermore, the machine manufacturing is to a larger extent carried out by large, in some cases global, companies in which forest machines could be a small part. Finally, the international component has grown, both in terms of research, users (and their customers), and machine manufacturing. 172

2 OSCAR for improved Nordic R&D co-operation in the field of operation systems in forestry The economical pressure and competition is hard for all actors in the forestry and wood value chain, from the forest industry back to the individual contractor and land-owner. So far, the rationalization of forest operations has contributed (by far) most to the stumpage value for the forest owner. The need for international collaboration is significant. Since the Nordic countries share some of the history, domain, technology and know-how, there is ample scope to increase the Nordic co-operation within the field of forest operations. This is the background of the network OSCAR (Operations Systems Centre of Advanced Research), which was initiated by the five institutes Metla and Metsäteho (FI); Skogforsk, now Skog og Landskap (N); Skogforsk (S), Skov & Landskab, now KVL (DK). The network is open for all research bodies in the Nordic and Baltic countries. It was established 2005 by grants of SNS, and will initially run for 5 years before evaluation. OSCAR is co-ordinated by Skogforsk, Sweden. Initially, time has been spent to establish the network, in theory as well as in practice. The NSR conference 2006 constitutes a perfect opportunity to further inform about the network, as well as urging the conference participants to join OSCAR and its activities. OSCAR objectives The OSCAR objectives are 1) to increase the excellence and critical mass of R&D within the field of operation systems by integrating research resources and expertise, and 2) to promote, initiate and develop efficient, competitive and environmentally friendly forest operation systems on a joint Nordic basis, with special emphasis on technology and support systems. OSCAR will strive to position itself to be the fore-front, world leading network in research on cut-to-length operation systems. OSCAR structure So far, the core of the network consists of the five Nordic Forest Research Institutes plus Silava in Latvia. Figure 1 illustrates the components of the management structure and their respective roles. The overall program co-ordination is made by the OSCAR Co-ordination Committee (CC) in which each participating institute is represented by one key person within the field of operation systems. The OSCAR co-ordinator is the key administrator and secretary of the OSCAR co-ordination and networking activities. Furthermore he provides assistance to the project management and act as a centre of communication within the network. A special task is that of Webmaster of the OSCAR homepage. Roles: Coordination committee (CC) one person from each institute Coordination Coordinator (CO) Administration & communication Figure 1. The components of the management structure and their respective roles within OSCAR. Projects Project leader (PL) + Project management Group (PMG) Research and networking 173

3 M. Thor OSCAR Projects: Each project is headed by a project leader. The project leader manages the project through a Project Management Group (PMG) comprising the national (sub-)project leaders responsible for the national input to an OSCAR Project. The project leaders are the key actors in the OSCAR project planning and co-ordination of the national sub projects that constitute the body of work. Co-ordination committee The OSCAR co-ordination committee consists of the following persons and organizations: Institute CC representative Metla (FI) Prof. Antti Asikainen Metsäteho (FI) Man. Dir. Heikki Pajuoja Skog & Landskap (NO) Department Dir. Øystein Dale Skov & Landskab, KVL (DK) Senior consultant Kjell Suadicani Skogforsk (SE) Research Dir. Lennart Rådström Silava (LV) Man. Dir. Martins Graudums The committee has had one meeting in The next physical meeting will be in the autumn/winter Project areas Based on each institute s working plan, the co-ordination committee has agreed on a list of (wide) project areas with high priority. Machine systems/concepts (e.g. harwarders, Besten, automation, measuring technology) Forest energy (Technology transfer, Supply chain analyses, Resource mapping, Logistics) Mechanization of pre-commercial treatment Low-impact logging Transport (technology, fleet/system design, raw-material handling) Quality control in forest operations Other points of general interest include: Nomenclature work studies (update), Seminars, field demos etc aimed at e g OEMs, Promotion of CTL technology in general, and the NSR biennial conference. In the last respect, SNS has handed over the responsibility to support the conference funding from NSR to OSCAR. Of these project areas, two were to be focused; Forest energy and machine systems/concepts. Descriptions of projects, contact persons and more can be found on the OSCAR web page ( Other projects could be created in workshops during the conference. Until then the list has been published on the OSCAR web site. Projects During 2005, two projects have been carried out within the OSCAR context and scope of Nordic collaboration. The first concerned extraction of forest residues in Latvia. Skogforsk (S) and Silava joined forces in a contract worth c euro. The work comprised theoretical analyses of residue volumes, field studies of harvesting, forwarding and bundling, and a systems analysis. The second project concerned boom-mounted scales on timber trucks. The aim was to propose a certification method as regards the accuracy in weighing. Partners in the project, which had a budget of SEK, involved the partners Skogforsk (S), Skogforsk (N), Metsäteho, The Swedish Testing Institute, SWD-gruppen and Ponsse. 174

4 OSCAR for improved Nordic R&D co-operation in the field of operation systems in forestry Furthermore, VSG (the transport technology co-operation group at Skogforsk (S)) was also involved. This work was partly financed by Nordtest. In addition, co-ordinated by Skov & Landskap, an expression of interest was put together and submitted to Nordic energy concerning a Nordic project on Bio-refinery Feedstock: Re-engineering supply chains to accommodate a key new player (BioSupp). However, in fierce competition the proposal was turned down. Finally, of course, the NSR conference 2006 is a project that should be mentioned. At present, several projects and project ideas are discussed. The most concrete proposal concerns whole-body vibrations in forest machines. A broad project group including Skogforsk (S), University of Helsinki, Skog og Landskap (N) and a number of organizations and companies is being formed. An application of c euro will be submitted to Nordic Innovation Centre. The work will consist of developing standardized testing procedures and vibration measurements, all aiming at reducing the impact to the machine operator. Internal and external information A web site is accessible at Institutions and organizations of relevance for OSCAR outside the institutes should be reached and informed via each institute s normal contact network. Each institute is responsible (primarily via the co-ordination committee) to inform other parties about OSCAR. The internal communication within OSCAR by means of traditional face-to-face meetings is inevitable but should be limited to max. two meetings per year for the CC and the PMG respectively. Telephone meetings and video conferences are very good alternatives, which should be tested. Apart from the communication via the homepage the results from OSCAR projects should be disseminated through the channels normally used by the participating institutes. Special OSCAR editions of publications, courses, etc may be necessary in order to reach target groups in all Nordic countries. Special working modes Once the planning is done, the R&D work should be much the same as it always has been with a few but very significant exceptions: 1) In all communication between partners in the network English should be the working language; 2) In case we have not divided up all the work between the partners, new colleagues with new ideas and knowledge will appear in common studies. This creates opportunities to learn from each other but there might also turn up some obstacles to be overcome. One such is the compatibility of hardware and software in the field activities; 3) It should be possible to share, borrow or rent equipment, labs and other facilities between partners when and where practical and economic. Costs The basic idea is that each participating organization covers its own costs generated by work that otherwise would have been done by that institute alone. The OSCAR contribution therefore covers only the administration of the network itself (the coordinator) and travel costs in connection with the OSCAR planning processes, i.e. meetings in the co-ordination committee and the project management groups. 175

5 M. Thor Evaluation After the set network life of 4 5 years OSCAR may continue to stay alive but only on its own merits. Thus after 3 4 years networking OSCAR will be evaluated. The question to be answered is whether or not the scientific value added (synergies) due to co-operation and the cost savings made due to less overlapping work exceed the true networking costs. Contact information [WWW document]. URL [WWW document]. URL [WWW document]. URL [WWW document]. URL [WWW document]. URL [WWW document]. URL Received September 22, 2006, revised November 15, 2006, accepted November 27,