A computerized bucking trainer for optimally bucking hardwoods

The bucking of hardwood stems constitutes the initial manufacturing decision for hardwood lumber production.Each bucking cut creates a log of fixed grade and scale. The grade and scale of each log created by the buckerdetermines the quantity and quality of potential lumber, which determines the value of the log within a givenmarket. As a result, bucking decisions significantly influence the profitability of the harvesting enterprise andultimately the efficiency of hardwood resource utilization. Poor choices of bucking cut locations with respect tothe log shape, size and defect pattern irreversibly reduce value, profit and efficiency. Within a holistic discus-sion on felling and bucking hardwoods, F.J. Petro (1975) addresses bucking techniques which may be imple-mented in order to improve log value and operation profitability. In several chapters, he details the practices ofjump butting and jump cutting, defect identification, manufacturing to reduce sweep and crook, and bucking forgrade. Through the application of these techniques, optimum logs may be produced and substantial improve-ments in profitability may be realized.More recently, work has been done in both the softwood and hardwood fields that investigates the optimizationof stem utilization in concert with earlier log value improvement methods. For any given stem there exists oneor more patterns of bucking cuts that will generate the maximum potential total value of logs for a specifiedmarket, under a specified set of grading and scaling rules. Evaluation of the entire stem in order to identify thisvalue optimization pattern of cuts is referred to as optimal bucking or near-optimal bucking. In studies done onHardwood Symposium Proceedings 11 May 11-13, 2000