Abstract:

Forest machinery interacts considerably with the environment, hence inappropriate selection and operation of harvesters and forwarders can have major negative environmental impacts. Harvesting conditions vary considerably across Europe, from the wet peat-based soils of Ireland and Scotland, to the steep escarpments of northern Italy and the frozen soils of Fennoscandia. Many of these sites may be classified as €sensitive€ and there is a need to develop appropriate mechanisation systems for them. By selecting and using forestry machinery in an integrated manner, the negative environmental consequences of wood harvesting and extraction/delivery processes can be minimised. Designers and manufacturers of such machinery also need to be fully aware of the potential environmental consequences of inappropriate machine design, selection and operation on such sites. This project will develop a protocol for ecoefficient wood harvesting on sensitive sites. The protocol, which will be in the form of guidelines/rules (with appropriate software back up), will enable the machinery to be matched to the site and ensure that all the stages in the wood chain are integrated. The development of this protocol is of major economic and environmental significance to the European forestry industry, particularly at regional levels.

Objectives:

To develop a protocol for ecoefficient wood harvesting on sensitive sites that matches the machines to the sites and integrates the stages in the wood chain from cutting the trees to their extraction from the forest. The protocol will be in the form of guidelines/rules (with supporting software for certain elements in the chain) that optimise the selection, operation and use of the various machines involved and that can be applied across the range of sensitive sites existing in Europe. The aim is to use this to achieve cost-effective ecoefficient operations which, at the same time, are ergonomically and socially sound.

Contacts

Coordinator

• Shane WARD / University College Dublin Forest Engineering Unit / IRELAND

EC Scientific Officer

• Alexandros ARABATZIS / European Commission DG Research Theme 1 Key Action 5.3 / BELGIUM

Participant

• Raffaele SPINELLI / CNR Istituto Ricerca sul Legno ITALY
• John LYONS / Coillte Teoranta Irish Forestry Board / IRELAND
• Plustech Oy FINLAND
• Julio MOLANO / Servicios Forestales SL SPAIN
• Rihko HAARLAA / University of Helsinki Dept of Forest Resource Management / FINLAND