Logging residue bundling at the roadside in mountain operations

Abstract The recovery of logging residue offers many benefits, and can be effectively performed with several techniques. This study presents the results of four distinct trials conducted on the Italian Alps with a truck-mounted bundler, and compares them with the figures obtained by the Austrian and German colleagues on the other side of the Alps. Average productivity varied between 14 and 22 bundles per productive machine hour (PMH), or between 10 and 15 bundles per scheduled machine hour (SMH). Mass production ranged from 3.1 to 4.3 oven-dry tonnes SMH−1. If the machine is used for at least 800 SMH year−1 bundling costs will range between €7 and 9 MWh−1, which is within the profitability limit indicated in Nordic studies. Although bundling may represent an additional cost in the slash-to-chip chain, it offers the important benefit of efficient outdoor winter storage, which is crucial in a region where the supply and demand of fuel biomass are often diachronic. The truck-mounted bundler used on the Alps adopts the same mechanism and achieves the same performance of the Nordic forwarder-mounted application. The main difference lies in its superior road mobility, which is crucial when covering scattered landings.

[1]  Natascia Magagnotti,et al.  Recovering logging residue: experiences from the Italian Eastern Alps , 2007 .

[2]  T. Nordfjell,et al.  Fuel quality changes during seasonal storage of compacted logging residues and young trees , 2007 .

[3]  Antti Asikainen.  Chipping terminal logistics , 1998 .

[4]  Tomas Nordfjell,et al.  Compressing and Drying of Bunched Trees from a Commercial Thinning , 2000 .

[5]  R. Lundmark.  Cost structure of and competition for forest-based biomass , 2006 .

[6]  W. B. Stuart,et al.  Economics of modifying harvesting systems to recover energy wood , 1981 .

[7]  Tomas Gullberg,et al.  Transport and handling of forest energy bundles—advantages and problems , 2006 .

[8]  Mikael Rönnqvist,et al.  Backhauling in forest transportation : models, methods and practical usage , 2007 .

[9]  Edwin S. Miyata,et al.  Determining fixed and operating costs of logging equipment. , 1980 .

[10]  K. Kärhä,et al.  Productivity and costs of slash bundling in Nordic conditions. , 2006 .

[11]  Rien Visser,et al.  Analyzing and estimating delays in wood chipping operations. , 2009 .

[12]  Raffaele Spinelli,et al.  Performance of a logging residue bundler in the temperate forests of France , 2004 .

[13]  N. Magagnotti,et al.  RACCOLTA INTEGRATA DI TONDAME E BIOMASSA NEL TAGLIO A GRUPPI DI FUSTAIE ALPINE , 2006 .

[14]  T. Gullberg,et al.  Evaluating Operator-Machine Interactions in Comparative Time Studies , 1995 .

[15]  Antti Asikainen.  Integration of Work Tasks and Supply Chains in Wood Harvesting - Cost Savings or Complex Solutions? , 2004 .

[16]  Mark Rickenbach,et al.  Logging firms, nonindustrial private forests, and forest parcelization: evidence of firm specialization and its impact on sustainable timber supply , 2006 .

[17]  P. Steele,et al.  Bundled Slash: A Potential New Biomass Resource for Fuels and Chemicals , 2008, Applied biochemistry and biotechnology.