Advanced Materials Research Vol. 705 (2013) pp 468-473 (2013) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.705.468 Development Trends and Future Prospects of Cut-to-length Machinery Yuri Gerasimov 1, a, Anton Sokolov 2, b and Vladimir Syunev 2, c 1 Finnish Forest Research Institute Metla, Joensuu Unit, Yliopistokatu 6, 80101 Joensuu, Finland 2 Petrozavodsk State University, Lenin av. 33, 185910 Petrozavodsk, Russia a yuri.gerasimov@metla.fi, b a_sokolov@psu.karelia.ru, c siounev@ psu.karelia.ru Keywords: Finland, Russia, harvester, forwarder, wood harvesting, forest bioenergy. Abstract. Over 30 years of cut-to-length harvesting machines experience have demonstrated their effectiveness to logging companies in the countries of the boreal forest zone; i.e. better labour conditions in terms of ergonomics and safety, and less environmental damage and reliability in combination with convenient operation and maintenance. The introduction of fully mechanized cut-to-length technology in Russia shows a number of challenges that reduces cut-to-length effectiveness. These include a lower productivity of harvester-forwarder chains and higher roundwood losses in comparison with the Nordic countries due to a number of objective and subjective reasons (service, training, forest management, motivation, etc). Wood harvesting machinery has developted in the Nordic countries in recent years. The major changes were in integrating the harvesting of logging residues and stumps into the traditional system. Future prospects of cut-to-length technology require the development of forest logistics and forest bioenergy, and better environmental compatibility of wheeled vehicles with forest loam and clay soils. Introduction Three logging methods are widely used in the countries of the boreal forest zone [1,2], including Finland, Sweden, Norway, Russia and Canada: full-tree (FT), tree-length (TL), cut-to-length (CTL). With full-tree harvesting systems trees are felled and bunched (usually by a feller-buncher), and then skidded to a roadside by a skidder. Delimbing follows skidding. Bucking of tree-length is carried out at a roadside landing by a processor or at a central processing yard. This technology applys not only to timber harvesting, but also to energy wood harvesting from early thinnings, which is used as a raw material for woodchips production. Tree-length method is similar to the full-tree harvesting. The difference between them is delimbing that is made at the stump area. Felling and delimbing are conducted usually by a chain-saw. CTL harvesting method involves felling, delimbing and bucking trees into assortments at a stump area by a single-grip harvester or (rarely) a chain saw. A significant amount of harvesting activities is carried out in the forest using this method [3]. Then, assortments are hauled by a forwarder to a roadside for their further transportation to a customer on short-wood trucks. Over 30 years of cut-to-length (CTL) harvesting machines experience in the countries of the boreal forest zone have demonstrated their effectiveness to logging companies; i.e. better labour conditions in terms of ergonomics and safety [4,5], and less environmental damage [6,7] and reliability in combination with convenient operation and maintenance [8]. The proportion of harvesting done using CTL systems has been increasing, particularly in Northwest Russia [9]. The introduction of fully mechanized CTL technology in Russia has shown a number of challenges that reduces CTL effectiveness. These include a lower productivity of harvester-forwarder chains [3,9] and higher roundwood losses in comparison with the Nordic countries [10,11] due to a number of objective and subjective reasons (technical service, training, forest management, motivation, etc [12]). Development trends of wood harvesting machine systems In the Nordic countries only CTL machines are traditionally used [13,14] (Fig. 1). The situation is different in Russia [15] CTL technology had been dominated in the postwar years, but in 80-90s, due to mechanization of full-tree harvesting, it was superseded by full-tree harvesting (Fig 2). All rights reserved. No part of contents of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of TTP, www.ttp.net. (ID: 46.30.132.204-23/04/13,09:29:15)
Advanced Materials Research Vol. 705 469 However, CTL technology has been coming back during the last twenty years. At present, about a quarter of wood is harvested by CTL technology, and the proportion of harvester-forwarder chains accounts for about 25% in Russia. In the border regions, such as the Republic of Karelia, CTL technology already dominates, and harvester-forwarder chains are mainly used. Annual demand for machines for CTL technology, at the current level of logging in Russia, is estimated at about 400 harvester-forwarder chains. There is no mass domestic production of harvesters and forwarders - the most of CTL machines are imported. For example, 349 harvesters and 447 forwarders were imported in 2007 [16]. Figure 1. Development of CTL harvesting in Finland Figure 2. Development of harvesting methods in Russia Finland is a major supplier of modern harvesting machinery to Russia. Export of harvesters from this country to Russia for five years has risen from 53 in 2002 to 281 in 2007 (Fig. 3). After the recession in 2008-2009, there was a rapid recovery of the harvesters market. In 2011 year 223 harvesters were exported with value about $40 million. A similar pattern is observed in the forwarder and short-wood truck market. However, the import has been constrained by high import duties for this type of machines. In Finland, as well as in Sweden, the mechanization of harvesting occurred in the nineties (Fig. 1). During over a decade, the level of mechanization had increased from 25% to 95%. The main driving force behind this process was a low-cost machine felling in comparison with manual felling (in 2-3 times). In 2010 the average harvesting cost in Finland was 10.7 /m³ (8.3 /m³ in clear-cutting), and the cost of transportation by all means of transport amounted to 7.9 /m³ (7.0 /m³ by trucks). In 2010 year 1330 trucks, 1970 forwarders and 1900 harvesters were employed in logging and over 200 chippers, 200 forwarders and 100 harvesters were employed in energy wood harvesting [14].
470 MEMS and Mechanics Figure 3. Export of harvesters from Finland to Russia in 2002-2011 (source: National Board of Customs) Future perspectives of wood harvesting machine systems Wood harvesting machinery is improving all the time. Research and development in this industry is going in several directions. In particular, there are works of CTL machines adaptation to low soil bearing capacity. A forwarder with 10-wheeled chassis was developed, forwarder load scale depending on the condition of soils using onboard computer and navigation systems was optimized, etc [17] (Fig. 4). Figure 4. Soft-footprint technology by Ponsse: a forwarder with 10-wheeled chassis (left) and an optimizer of scale load (right) (source: Ponsse)
Advanced Materials Research Vol. 705 471 The next promising area of harvesting is forest biomass harvesting for the woodchips production [18,19] (Fig. 5). Woodchips are used in power plants and boilers, which are located closely to forest biomass sources, making it a cost-effective energy production. The replacing fossil fuels to woodchips creates new jobs, increases tax revenues, improves the state of forests, etc. One hectare of harvested area (usually spruce) provides about 250 m 3 of roundwood for industry, 60-70 m 3 of logging residues and 50-60 m 3 of stumps for energy production. The most widely used wood chip technology is chipping at roadside. Woody biomass is hauled to the roadside by forwarders and dries. Mobile chippers are used for chipping. Woodchips are delivered to the consumer by woodchip trucks. The technology of processing biomass at the consumer is also quite common. Moreover, the technological chain based on a slash bundler is also used. Bundles of logging residues are transported by forwarders to a roadside, where they are stored in stacks to dry for several months. Dried bundles are delivered to the consumer by short-wood trucks. It should be noted that in Finland the concept of industrial wood and fuelwood clearly differentiates. The first one refers to sawlogs (the stumpage is 48-59 /m 3 ) and balance (31-32 /m 3 ). The second one to logging residues and stumps (30-125 /ha), trees from early thinnings (up to 7 /m 3 ). Figure 5. Forest biomass harvesting for the woodchips production (source: Metla) In Finland, where the share of fuel wood is 20% of the energy balance of the country, the ambitious goal to increase the use of woodchips to 13.5 million m 3 in 2020 was set. A number of new technologies and machines have been developing for this in the Nordic countries [17,20]. There are the harvester head with multi-stemming innovation (Fig. 6) and the feller-skidder for early thinnings (Fig. 7), the modified load space for high performance of logging residues forwarding and the stump lifting heads with splitting knife for various tree species.
472 MEMS and Mechanics Figure 7. Multi-stemming innovation (source: Ponsse) Figure 6. Energy wood combi-machine for thinning (source: Ponsse) Conclusion Wood harvesting machinery has developed in the Nordic countries in recent years [21]. The major changes were in integrating the harvesting of logging residues and stumps into the conventional system. It is expected to be a remarkable growth in Russian forest machine markets in the long run mainly because of a need for renewal of current machines and because of a huge cutting potential [22]. Future prospects of CTL technology require the development of forest logistics and forest bioenergy, and better environmental compatibility of wheeled vehicles with forest loam and clay soils in Russia. Acknowledgements. The presentation was prepared for the projects Novel cross-border solutions for intensification of forestry and increasing energy wood use, financed by the Karelia ENPI CBC programme, and within the Strategic development programme of Petrozavodsk State University. References [1] A. Asikainen, A. Ala-Fossi, A. Visala, P. Pulkkinen, Forest Technology Vision and Roadmap for 2020, Working Papers of the Finnish Forest Research Institute 8(2005) 1-92. [2] Y. Gerasimov, A. Seliverstov, Industrial Round-wood Losses Associated with the Harvesting Systems in Russia, Croat. J. For. Eng. 31(2010) 111-126. [3] Y. Gerasimov, V. Senkin, K. Väätäinen, Productivity of Harvesters in Clear Cuttings, Resources and Technology 9(2012) 82-93. [4] A. Sokolov, A. Seliverstov, Y. Gerasimov, Ergonomic Evaluation of Wood Harvesting Machines, Resources and Technology 9(2012) 106-116. [5] Y. Gerasimov, A. Sokolov, Ergonomic Characterization of Harvesting Work in Karelia, Croat. J. For. Eng. 30(2009) 159-170.
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